Northern Lights
by countrygal15
Summary: Princess Elsa and Jackson North were best friends as children. As they grew older, even during her isolation, they grew closer and closer, eventually becoming something more. But after her parents deaths, Elsa shuts him out, terrified of hurting him. Three years later, Jack shows up at Elsa's coronation, wanting to start over. Will Elsa let him in, or will her fears take over?
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Elsa! Hurry up!" the dark haired boy called out behind him, running ahead. The blond girl tried to run faster, but it was difficult in her ball gown.

"Jack, slow down!" Elsa finally said, coming to a stop. Jack ran back to her, slightly out of breath.

"Do I win Your Majesty?"

Elsa nodded. "If I ever become Queen, I won't wear such a ridiculous dress."

"Why did you say if?" Elsa looked at her best friend. Jack's bangs almost hid his brown eyes, sparkling with mischief and adventure.

"Because in order for me to become Queen, something has to happen to my parents, and I don't want anything bad to happen to them."

Jack seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I think you would be a great Queen, Elsa."

Elsa smiled. "Thanks, Jack." She looked around the garden. The ball her parents, the King and Queen of Arendelle, were holding continued inside the palace. Elsa wondered her parents even noticed her absence. It was only because of Jack that she was not dying of boredom this very minute. Who knew that her first ball would be such a bore? Her dress was not helping much.

"I need to get out of this dress. Don't look!"

"I'm not." Jack turned his back while Elsa ducked behind some bushes. She carefully peeled off the pink monstrosity, revealing a pale blue under dress that thankfully her mother had allowed her to wear. Elsa kicked the mess of ribbons and ruffles under the bush and, as an afterthought, kicked her shoes off as well.

"Let's do this!" Jack exclaimed once Elsa re-entered the garden, jumping around like the excited child he was. She smiled and rubbed her palms together, causing bits of blue light to jump out and turn to white, fluffy snow.

"You ready?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Jack nodded as she let her powers free, turning the summer garden into a winter wonderland.

"This is awesome!" he shouted, running around. He stopped when he saw her looking at her hands with something close to fear. "What's wrong, Elsa?" he asked, stopping in front of her.

She clenched her fists and said, "Before the ball tonight, my father told me to not freeze anything. His exact words were 'Conceal your powers, Elsa. Don't feel them. Remember that, Elsa. Conceal, don't feel.' Now, I've done the exact opposite of that."

"And look at how much fun we're having! You shouldn't hide your talents, Elsa. You should embrace them and _let it go_!" Jack fell back into a mound of snow and pulled Elsa down with him. They fell on top of each other, giggling like crazy. Elsa pushed herself up with a devious smirk on her face.

"Oh, Ja-ack," she sang, holding her hands behind her back. He barely had time to look up before she threw a snowball at his face. "You're going down, Elsa!" he shouted, forming his own ammunition. The two eight-year-olds played in the snow, having fun and laughing, until a thorny rose bush caught Elsa's dress. Together, they pulled on the dress until it came loose with a loud _RIP_!

"Oh-no," Elsa moaned, studying the ragged tear that ended just above her knee.

"It doesn't look that bad," Jack said, "It actually looks better this way."

"Elsa! Where are you? It's time to go to bed now," The king of Arendelle called out, entering the frozen garden. He stopped, taking in the sight of snow mounds, icicles, and finally, Jack and Elsa covered in snow from top to bottom.

"Elsa, what did I tell you about your powers?" the king said, making his way towards the children, careful not to slip on ice. Snowflakes started to fall around Elsa as she stepped closer to Jack.

"Papa, I-"

"It's my fault, Your Majesty." Jack exclaimed, "Please don't be mad at her. It was my idea to play with her powers." Elsa stared at him in disbelief. What was he _doing_? The king looked at Jack for a long time with a stern face, and then shook his head, smiling.

"I'm not mad at either of you," he said, bending down to their level, "I'm just glad both of you are alright. Now, it's time for bed. Jack, your mother is looking for you. She needs you in the kitchen right away."

"Yes, Your Highness." Jack ran towards the kitchen, grinning at Elsa as he turned a corner. Elsa gathered her ball gown and started toward the palace.

"Elsa."

Somewhat expecting this, she turned around slowly. "I'm sorry, Papa," she said, keeping her head down. She heard Papa sigh, and then felt him pat her head softly. "Just be careful next time. Okay?" Elsa nodded, letting Papa lead the way back to the palace.

The Queen was waiting in the front hall for them. "Elsa!" she exclaimed, looking over her eldest daughter, "Are you all right? What happened to your dress?" Elsa blushed. "It got stuck in the thorns. I'm sorry, Mama."

"It's alright, sweetie," the Queen said, giving her a hug, "There's nothing to be sorry for. Go wash up and head to bed."

"Good night, Mama. Good night, Papa." Elsa said, running up the stairs to her bedroom, which she shared with Anna, her five-year-old sister, who was sleeping peacefully in her bed. Elsa quickly changed into a blue nightgown, tucking the torn dress into the back of her drawer. Tucking herself in, she thought about Jack and his family. He had a mother, who came to work for the royal family almost a year ago, after her husband died from a freak sledding accident. Jack also had a little sister, who was only one year old when they came to the palace. They had a few cousins somewhere, but Elsa couldn't remember where exactly. She closed her eyes, dreaming of mountain adventures with her best friend, Jackson North, unaware of the glowing lights dancing in the sky.

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**Okay, this is my first story on here, so I need to know how it is. I can't promise regular updates, but I'll see what I can do. Please review and tell me if it's good/bad/eh. **


	2. Chapter 2

"Elsa, do you wanna build a snowman?" Anna called out from behind the door, "Come on, let's go and play."

Elsa stayed quiet, resisting the urge to throw open the door and hug her sister as tight as possible. It had only been a week since Elsa struck Anna's head with her powers. Mama and Papa took them to the trolls and had them fix Anna, but now Elsa had to learn to control her powers."It doesn't have to be a snowman."

"Go away, Anna," Elsa finally shouted, feeling terrible. Sisters weren't supposed to shut each other out. What kind of a sister was she? She heard Anna's heartbroken good-bye. Elsa waited by the door until she was sure that Anna had left, and then shook her head a few times and went to the window to clear her head.

"It's for the best," she told herself, repeating what Papa had told her after the trolls fixed Anna. She looked out the window into the royal garden, where Jack was helping the gardeners. He ran around the trees, passing out baskets and climbing up to get the hard-to-reach fruit. She leaned closer to see him better, and then heard a crackling sound underneath her hands. She looked down and saw a thin layer of frost spread from her hands. Elsa gasped and pulled away quickly. The frost thickened and expanded all over the bottom of the window.

Jack looked up at that moment, searching for Elsa in her old bedroom. She wasn't there, which confused him. Elsa said she would come out and play with him soon, and it had been a week since he last saw her. He looked at all of the windows until he saw frost on one of the spare room's window. He thought he saw Elsa there, but she moved away from the window, so he couldn't be sure. Jack planned to go see her soon, hoping that she wasn't sick. That was the only reason he could think of for Elsa being in another room, away from Anna.

A couple hours later, Jack went up to Elsa's new room, only to have a guard block his way.

"Excuse me, sir," Jack said, "Where's Elsa?"

"No one is allowed to see the princess at this time." the guard replied.

"Is she sick?"

A door down the hall opened up the slightest crack, revealing strands of white-blond hair and an ice-blue eye.

"Elsa!" Jack tried to go around the guard, but he kept blocking the way.

"No one is allowed to see Princess Elsa except the King and Queen."

"But Elsa's my friend! I have to see her!" Jack finally pushed past the guard and ran to Elsa's now-shut door. "Elsa! Do you want to play?"

"Go away, Jack." Go away? "But, Elsa-"

"I said go away! Leave me alone."

"Are you sick?"

"No."

"What's wrong?"

"Jack, please. Just stay away from me."

The guard picked Jack up and carried him out of the hall. "Elsa! What's wrong? Elsa!"

Elsa stayed on her side of the door, listening to Jack's calls. "I'm sorry, Jack," she said, leaning her head against the door, "But I can't hurt you, too." She stayed like that for a minute, and then went to her bed to lie down. Maybe a nap would calm her down.

_Knock, knock, knock._ "Princess Elsa?" Elsa opened her eyes with a start. The messenger knocked again. "Princess Elsa? I have a letter for you from Jackson North." Elsa jumped out of bed with a growing smile. She was about to open the door when she remembered her powers. "Uh, just slip it under the door, please." The letter barely made it halfway before Elsa snatched it up and ripped it open.

_Dear Elsa,_ the letter said, _Please tell me what's wrong. I haven't seen you all week and I'm bored. Anna says you've just been sick, but I know better. Please meet me in the garden tonight, and feel better, if you really are sick. Your friend, Jack._

Elsa read the childish script repeatedly until she had the letter memorized. 'I want to meet Jack,' she thought, 'But I have to protect him from my powers.' A war started in her mind between seeing Jack and protecting him.

Finally, closing the letter, she made her decision.

* * *

Later that night, Elsa managed to sneak out of the castle to meet Jack.

"Elsa!" he cried out, rushing to hug her. She stepped away from him, shushing him quietly.

"No one knows I'm out here."

Jack looked hurt. "Why won't you play with me?"

Elsa hesitated, and then told him everything that happened that night, from Anna's begging to build a snowman to the troll's warning. "They said I have to control my powers, so I won't hurt anybody else."

Jack stayed quiet for a minute, seemingly deep in thought. "But you didn't mean to hurt Anna. It was an accident."

"It doesn't matter. I still have to control it."

Jack looked up at her hopefully. "You wouldn't hurt me, right?"

Elsa smiled. "Of course not, Jack. You're my best friend."

"Forever?" Jack asked, holding out his hand. Elsa, without hesitation, grabbed it and squeezed tightly.

"Forever."

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**Second chapter is up! Finally got some time. Enjoy and please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

It had been six years since the unexplained and sudden closing of the palace gates. The most the townspeople got from the royal family was that Princess Elsa was terribly sick and had to be quarantined, which made sense for the next few weeks. As time passed, however, people began to question the truth of this tale, especially when most of the palace staff had been fired quite unexpectedly a couple of weeks later. Not one member of the former staff knew the reason for the sudden termination, but most of them were able to find work again with the council members. After this, many rumors began to spread about the royal family. Everything from a war plan to a new baby went around, but the rumors eventually died down as the closed gates became a part of everyday life for Arendelle. No one questioned it. They just looked at the gates with slight disinterest, and then went on with their day.

Dawn was just breaking over the majestic mountains, casting its soft glow over the small town, which was already bustling around and practically humming with excitement. Tomorrow was Princess Anna's eleventh birthday, and there was a rumor going around that the King and Queen were finally going to open the gates to celebrate. The anticipation in the air was as thick as the clouds that hid the top of the North Mountain. Everyone was busy, making sure that the town looked its very best for the King and Queen, who had gone away on a short journey and would be back later that evening.

"Oh Perci, isn't wonderful?" said Debbie as she pulled her husband across the town square, "To finally have the gates open for an evening! An entire evening!" "Yes, dear. Now, let's get the cloth for your new gown."

Back inside the castle, one of the maids who were lucky enough to stay on staff went to check up on the two princesses. Anna was playing in the ballroom, pretending she was at a big beautiful ball and that she was dancing with her Prince Charming. "Yes, Mr. Charming, I would be delighted to have this dance." she said to one of the suits in armor, twirling around it with a lot of gusto. The maid waited by the door for the inevitable…

_CRASH!_

"Sorry!" Anna yelled, surrounded by pieces of armor. The maid laughed quietly as she walked in and helped the princess straighten up. Anna ran off to play in some other part of the castle as soon as they finished and the maid went to check up on Princess Elsa.

She knocked, but heard no answer from the other side of the door. "Princess Elsa?" The maid knocked again, and then hesitantly opened the door. Elsa appeared to be fast asleep, facing away from the door. The maid left the room without a sound, satisfied that both princesses were safe inside the palace.

As soon as the door shut, the wardrobe opened with a slight creak, revealing Elsa's blonde hair. She peeked around the room before stepping out of the wardrobe, wearing a dark blue hooded cloak over a simple peasant dress. The material felt scratchy, but Elsa refused to let that bother her. Excitement coursed through her body. Today was finally the day that she and Jack were going out to town to get Anna a birthday present.

The plan was simple: get Elsa out of the castle, meet with Jack at their 'special place', work on disguising Elsa, enter Arendelle, get the present, then sneak Elsa back into her room before her parents' ship came.

"Easy peasy. We'll have the present in no time." Jack said a week ago, when they first came up with the plan. Now, Elsa wondered about the downfalls in their plan. '

What if someone sees me?' she thought as she opened the door out to the hallway.

'What if they find the dummy under the covers?' she worried as she ran through the castle to the secret entrance in the library.

'What if my parents come home early?' she fretted as she made her way out of the passageway and into the forest, running as fast as she could through the foliage. As she ran, all of her 'what ifs' slowly vanished, leaving her with the feeling of being ultimately, totally free, with no restrictions, no powers, and no fear to hold her down. She ran faster and faster, laughing as she went, throwing her arms behind her, imagining that this is what flying was like.

Five minutes later, Elsa arrived at the 'special place': a small lake in the middle of the forest about half a mile from Arendelle. Jack found it when they needed a new spot to meet after his family had been fired from the palace. His mother had been one of the lucky ones and quickly found work, although Jack sometimes took odd jobs here and there to help. His sister, who was seven going on eight, went almost everywhere with Jack, except for today. Their mother had Jack's sister working on chores today, so she would not be a bother. Elsa sat down by the edge of the lake, removing the cloak to sit upon it. The rain from last night made the ground very muddy. "Jack?" Elsa called out, looking around her.

"BOO!"

"Ahh!" Elsa screamed and almost fell into the mud. Jack laughed as Elsa stood up and brushed herself off.

"You nearly scared me to death, Jack!" she yelled, turning around to face him. At fourteen years old, Jack was almost a head taller than Elsa was, but the childish spirit remained in his eyes no matter what his age. "Sorry, Elsa. I couldn't help it," he said, smiling like an idiot. Elsa held on to her anger for as long as she could, and then busted out laughing at the exact same time Jack did. When they finally calmed down, Elsa gave Jack a big hug. He had been away longer than their usual wait time because of his mother, who had been getting sick the last few weeks.

Jack hugged her back for a second, and then as they pulled away, he swore that Elsa had been blushing. "

So, are we ready to go?" she said with a smile.

"Wait, wait, wait. Slow down, Elsa," he said, grabbing her cloak and fastening it around her neck, "You forgot the most important part of the mission." Elsa thought for a minute, and then her eyes lit up.

"Oh, that part," she said, the look of apprehension clear on her face, "I already have the cloak, Jack. Why do I need a disguise?"

"It would be weird if you kept the cloak on all day, especially during the summer." Jack stepped back and looked at Elsa. "Put you hair down," he said, bending down. Elsa hesitantly pulled out her braid, running her fingers through to separate the blonde locks.

"What are you planning to-JACK!" she shrieked as he plopped a pile of mud on her head, "What are you doing?"

"Disguising you. Hold still."Elsa cringed as Jack spread the gooey mud all over her hair.

"All done." he announced a minute later, stepping backwards to admire his work, "Now it just needs to dry and we'll be on our way."

Elsa stared at him with horror. "What did you do?"

He pointed at the lake and said, "See for yourself."

Tentatively, she looked at her reflection in the water and stared. Her formally white-blond hair was now a dull muddy brown. If it weren't for her icy blue eyes, she would've never recognized herself.

"Wow." she said, reaching up to touch it. Jack's hand shot out and grabbed her hand before she could touch it.

"It needs to dry first." Elsa looked up at Jack and nodded, stepping away from the water. "What about the rest of me?"

"I think you'll be okay. No one's seen the princess in almost six years. Just don't say your name and we'll be good."

"Don't say my name? How do I do that?"

"Easy. Just pick a new name."

A new name… Elsa thought about it. "How about Mary?" she said.

Jack shook his head. "No. How about Franny?"

"What kind of name "I have an aunt named Franny. Well, her real name is Francis, but everyone calls her Franny.

They thought for a few more minutes. "Ginger?"

"No."

"Dolly?"

"No."

"Helga?"

"Seriously, Jack?"

"What?"

An hour later, the two teens walked into town. "You ready, Sonya?" Jack whispered to Elsa, who was squeezing his hand tightly.

Sonya/Elsa nodded, looking around the busy market. "Okay, then. Let's get Anna the best present ever!"

They wandered around the town for hours searching for the perfect present. Sonya/Elsa kept her head down for the first couple of hours, not willing to look anyone in the eye for fear that they would recognize her as the princess. "What about this doodad, Sonya?" Elsa looked up at the wooden troll carving Jack held up and shook her head. Jack wandered off to look at the other carts.

"Are you looking for something, miss?" Elsa snapped her head back down before the market lady could get a glimpse of her face. "N-no, ma'am. I'm fine." Elsa tried to walk away from the cart, but the market lady called out after her, "If you're looking for a present for Princess Anna, I might have something for you."

Elsa hesitated before going back to the cart. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Els-Sonya," Elsa mumbled, remembering her new name. "Elsonya?"

"Just Sonya, ma'am. What do you have?"

The market lady pulled back her dark blonde hair into a ponytail before going under the cart. "Well Sonya, everyone's looking for something extravagant to give the princess," she said, "but I've got the feeling that's not what you're looking for." The market lady popped her head up to look at Elsa. "Am I right?"

Elsa nodded. She was beginning to like this woman a lot. "I want to give her something special." Elsa said, looking around the cart. It was filled with herbs, charms, and all sorts of funny looking things. She picked up a stuffed mouse that had big black circles for ears, red pants and white gloves.

"Ah, here it is," the market lady said, straightening up with a snow globe in her hand, "Oh, Mickey isn't for sale, dear. He is quite a character though." She held out her hand until Elsa put Mickey in it, and the market lady put the stuffed mouse up on a high shelf.

"Where was I? Oh, yes! The present." She put the snow globe on the counter for Elsa to see. It was the most beautiful thing Elsa had ever seen. The stand was blue and gold and had crocus flowers all around it. The snow globe itself looked like it had a light dusting of frost on it. Elsa looked inside the snow globe and felt tears well up. Two little girls were ice skating together, spinning around in circles, having the time of their lives.

"Watch this." the market lady said, turning a little knob on the side. A melody started up and the snow globe began to glow, casting a golden light on Elsa's face. It had started to snow inside the globe, but Elsa couldn't see it.

"How much?" she managed to say, pulling out a little purse filled with gold coins. "Ten coins, please." Elsa paid the market lady and went away to find Jack.

"Sonya!" Elsa turned. The market lady waved at her and said, "Don't be afraid to let it go!"

Elsa stared at her for a moment, confused. _Let it go?_

"Sonya!" Jack called out, running towards her. Elsa turned to face him. "Jack, I got the perfect gift! What is that?"

Jack held up the long crooked stick in his hand. It was almost twice as tall as he was and the crook at the end had a distinct G-shape. "It's a shepherd's crook. That man over there sold it to me for only two coins. Wait, where did he go?"

Jack looked around the market, but he couldn't find the man who sold the staff to him. He shrugged and turned back to Elsa. "What did you get?" Elsa showed him the snow globe. "That lady by the cart sold it to me. She has really…" Elsa trailed off as she looked around. "You're missing the salesperson, too?"

Elsa nodded, thoroughly confused. _Where was she?_ Jack rubbed his forehead. "Wow. A lot of weird stuff is going on today. Anyway, it's almost noon. Should we head back or get something to eat here?" Elsa was about to say that she should be at the castle, but her stomach beat her to the punch. "Sorry." she said, embarrassed.

Jack laughed and grabbed her hand. "I know where we can get something to go. Follow me."

Just then, Jack's little sister came running up to them. "Jack! Princess Elsa!" she shouted very loudly, loud enough for the villagers around her to look at what she was shouting and whisper, "Princess Elsa?" "She's out of the palace?"

Elsa immediately hid behind Jack, pulling her hood up to hide her face. "What are you doing here?" Jack hissed at his sister, who had stopped right in front of them, "I thought you were helping Mom."

"I was, but she told me to get you and Princess Elsa for lunch. We're having soup and sandwiches."

"Is that you, Princess Elsa?" Elsa kept her head down, praying that the people would leave her alone. "No. This is Sonya, my cousin," Jack declared loudly, grasping Elsa's hand. The warm pressure made Elsa feel much safer than before.

"She looks like the princess." one villager remarked. Elsa felt herself being pushed back. "She's not the princess," Jack insisted, "Leave her alone."

A cold wind started to blow, bringing dark clouds from the mountains. "Keep it together, Elsa." Jack whispered to her, "We're almost there." Suddenly, Elsa realized that Jack was pushing her towards the cover of the forest.

"He just called her Elsa!" the townspeople started to shout. "It is her!"

"No, it's not!" Jack shouted. He grabbed a bunch of Elsa's mud covered hair and pulled it out of her hood. Elsa stifled a cry of pain as she was pulled forward. "Everyone knows that Princess Elsa has blond hair."

Maybe his hand rubbed off some of the mud, or maybe some of it wasn't as dry as it looked. Either way, the mud came off, the villagers were shouting, and Elsa and Jack were running through the woods, trying to get far away enough that she could sneak back to the palace.

"Wait!" Elsa said as she stopped to look around her, "I dropped Anna's present!" Jack stopped and ran back to her. "There's no time, Elsa! Come on!" "But-"

Jack grabbed her hand and pulled her behind a tree just as a few villagers ran past them. Elsa tried to keep her emotions under control, because if she didn't, ice would start to fly out of her hands and she could hurt someone and everyone would know and she would be called a monster and-

"Elsa, you're crying." They somehow made it back to their lake unseen, and Elsa had just washed most of the mud out of her hair. Jack and Elsa were sitting on her cloak, waiting for her hair to dry before heading their separate ways. Elsa shut her eyes tightly, willing herself to stop crying. _Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel._

"It's alright. It's okay, Elsa." Jack said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away from his touch. "I could hurt you." she mumbled, curling up into a ball. The temperature dropped significantly, but she didn't even noticed. The cold never bothered her.

"You can't hurt me." Jack said, "You said you wouldn't."

"Things change, Jack," she snapped at him. She immediately regretted saying that. "I'm sorry."

Jack's eyes held no hurt feelings or angry words. Instead, they held friendship and kindness, friendship Elsa wasn't even sure she deserved. Jack came closer and wrapped her in a tight embrace, pulling her into his lap. Elsa did not attempt to move away.

"You can cry, you know," he said softly, rocking back and forth, "You don't have to keep it in forever." Elsa didn't say anything for a while, but found herself sobbing on Jack's shoulder for something as silly as a lost birthday present for her sister.

"I can't take her pleas anymore, Jack. She's always going to be there, and I'm always going to have to shut her out because I'm so scared of hurting her again. I thought that this present would be the renewal of our relationship, as if we could start over. I thought I was handling my powers pretty well. Even Mama and Papa thought so. Once they hear about this, they'll be furious with me." Jack let her cry and pour out her feelings until there was nothing left but soft whimpers and sniffles. "The sun's going down."

Elsa looked up at this random remark and realized that it was true. The setting sun cast brilliant colors across the sky even prettier than the northern lights that shone at least once every season. "It's beautiful." Elsa said, resting her head on Jack's tear-stained shoulder.

Jack looked at her with wonder. _You're even more beautiful._ He couldn't stop the thought, and he didn't try to. That didn't mean the thought didn't scare him. It terrified him to think that he could possibly be falling for his best friend. He was only fourteen, for crying out loud. He shouldn't be thinking about this stuff. "Jack?" He looked at her tear-streaked face and felt his chest start to hurt. He never wanted to see her cry ever again. "I'm tired." He nodded and helped her up, catching her when she fell.

Her blue eyes met his brown ones and she couldn't stop her pounding heart. _Stop that. You'll only hurt him if you fall for him._

Occupied with their own, identical thoughts, they made their way back to the secret entrance to the palace. "Same time next week?" Jack said, stopping in front of the hidden door. Elsa nodded, too emotionally and physically drained to speak.

"Elsa?" She turned to look at him.

"Yes, Jack?" He fell silent for a minute until he looked up at the sky. "The sky's awake." She looked up as well, but no lights danced in the sky. She opened her mouth to tell him, but when she went to look at him, he was gone.

She looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. A rustle of paper caught her attention down to her feet. She picked up the paper and quickly ran to the safety of her room before opening the letter.

_Dear Elsa, I wanted to tell you earlier, but I couldn't find the right moment. I need to tell you about my mom. She's not getting any better, and there's a chance that my sister and I might move to live with our aunt in Corona. If I do, I just want you to know that you're the best friend I've ever had. Of course I'll visit you. I just need you to know that. And I need you to promise me something. Promise me that you'll always be you. Never let your powers or your parents or anything else change who you are. You're perfect just the way you are. Forever yours, Jack_

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**Okay, I am so sorry that this is late. I had minor writer's block, but this is up, so I should be good. If you like this chapter, review and tell me. If you hate this chapter, review and tell me. I don't care, just tell me how you feel. Peace out!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Jack, come on! The baker's gonna open any second!" Missy cried out, dragging Jack behind her through the crowded streets of Corona. Jack laughed, knowing his sister's obsession with honey rolls.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he said, weaving his way through the multitude of people. Today was especially crowded, as today was Lantern Day. Everyone was out celebrating, although Jack didn't really see the reason for it. At least it got him off work for the day.

"Jack, hurry up!"

"You know what would make us get there faster?" he said, getting an idea. Missy pulled back, looking up at her older brother with a grin. "How?"

"Like _this_!" he shouted, throwing her over his shoulder and racing through the crowds.

"Jack!" she squealed, laughing the whole time, "Jack, put me down! This is not funny! Jack!" He didn't put her down until they were at the baker's shop.

"You're getting heavy. I think you're eating too many of those rolls, Pumpkin." he teased, poking her stomach lightly. Missy stuck her tongue out and raced inside. Jack waited outside, gazing at all of the people here to celebrate the unnecessary holiday, at least in Jack's opinion. What was the point of celebrating a long lost princess's birthday if she wasn't even here to see it? She's probably dead now, anyway. His gaze turned to a mosaic mural of the royal family, back when the princess was still here. As a little baby, she sort of reminded Jack of Anna, with their round faces and large eyes. Of course, the princess in the mural had green eyes and Anna had blue eyes. _Like Elsa's eyes_. Jack cursed himself silently. It had been almost three years since his mother died and he and his sister had moved to Corona and everyday he thought about Elsa, no matter how much he tried not to. He tried, unsuccessfully, to think about anything else except her.

"Jack? Earth to Jack? Wake up, Jack!" Missy tugged at his shirt, holding two honey rolls in one hand. Jack stayed oblivious, staring off into space with a silly grin. Finally, she sighed and started to sing very loudly, "Jack and Elsa sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-" On cue, Jack slammed his hand over Missy's mouth, preventing the rest of the song from the escaping. "You know I hate that song." he said, glowering at his thirteen-year-old sister.

She looked up at him and held out her hand. "Honey roll?" she said, muffled. Jack sighed and removed his hand, taking the syrup-covered lump of bread. "What do you want to do now, Pumpkin?" he asked, gesturing the entire town.

Missy grinned. "I wanna see the animals. Please, Jack, please?" Jack smiled and held out his hand. "One petting zoo, coming right up. Just please don't bring the zoo home this time." "No promises." Missy said under her breath.

A little while later, as Missy played with the chickens and the goats in the pens, Jack was at a nearby store trying to buy a little toy for Missy. "This is all I have," he said, holding out a few coins in his palm, "There's gotta be something I can buy with this."

The very tall man glared down at him through small spectacles. "Sorry mate, I got nothing that would interest a little lady for that price. Now rack off! You're blocking the rest of the costumers."

Dejected, Jack left the store and sat down on a wooden crate, putting his head in his hands. He felt like such an awful brother. How was he supposed to get a birthday present for his sister now? Sure, her birthday wasn't for another week, but he always got her present early.

"Jack!" He looked up at Missy, who had materialized out of nowhere. "

Look at her hair!" she said, pointing at the gate. Jack pushed her hand down. "It's rude to point, Missy."

"Jack, just look at her." He sighed and looked at the gate. His eyes widened. Standing near the gate were two people: a man with dark hair and a goatee, and a young girl about his age with large green eyes and really, really, _really_ long golden blonde hair. They both held an armful of hair, and there was still some trailing on the ground.

"Wow. That is a lot of hair." Jack said.

"I know, right?" Missy said, "This may sound crazy, but that girl looks like the princess on the mural."

"Really?" he said, watching the girl get her hair braided by a few red-haired girls. Now that Missy mentioned it, the girl did look a lot like an older version of the mural baby.

"I wonder what her name is." Missy mused, "Georgia's over there. Maybe she knows."

Jack and Missy watched the girl until she left with the goatee man, her hair sweeping above the ground in a flower-covered braid. Missy skipped over to talk to Georgia, while Jack stared off after the blonde girl. She reminded him even more of Anna than the mural did. And thinking of Anna made him think of Elsa, which really annoyed him, but not really.

"-Elsa sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-"

"MISSY!"

She smiled and crossed her arms. "You're thinking about Elsa again, aren't you?"

"What? No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Just forget it. Did you find out the girl's name?"

"I win. You were totally thinking about her. And Georgia said that her name is Rapunzel."

Rapunzel. What a strange name. "Let's go follow her, Jack." Missy was saying, pulling on his arm, "Maybe we can talk to her and learn more."

"Wait a minute, Missy." Jack said, bending down to her level, "We are not becoming stalkers. Not now, not ever."

"But, _Jack_."

"Don't you dare give me those puppy eyes. We are not following them."

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

* * *

The rest of Jack's day was spent following Missy around, who was following Rapunzel and the goatee man around. They went to the market, the library, the cobbler's shop, the lantern store, and the artist store. Jack managed to talk Missy out of talking to her directly at first, but he knew it was only a matter of time. That time came when Missy walked up behind Rapunzel while she was looking at the mural.

"That's the lost princess. She's been missing for eighteen years. Actually, today's her birthday. Everyone's gonna light lanterns tonight to make sure she comes home this year. Everybody from everywhere is here to see it. Where are you from?"

"Uh…" Rapunzel looked like a lost child.

"Missy, what did I tell you about talking to strangers?" Jack said, rushing forward when he realized what was happening, "I'm so sorry, miss. She tends to talk without knowing what she's saying."

Missy elbowed him in the hip. "Oh, it's okay." Rapunzel said, a little relieved, "I'm just not used to fast talking. My name's Rapunzel."

"I'm Jack, and this is my little sister, Missy."

"How come your hair is so long?"

"Missy!"

"What? I'm curious."

"Hey, Blondie!" The goatee man walked up to them. Jack thought that he looked familiar somehow.

"Are these people bothering you?"

"No, Eugene." Jack raised his eyebrows. _Eugene? Really?_ "This is Jack and Missy. They were telling me about the lanterns."

Eugene narrowed his eyes at Jack. _Don't worry, buddy,_ Jack thought, staring back at him, _I already got a girl. Yours is safe._ "Hello, Jack and Missy." Eugene said, shaking their hands, "It was very nice to meet you, but we have stuff we need to see and do, so-"

"But they could show us around." Rapunzel interrupted, "They do live here."

"Actually, we live just outside of town," Missy said, "We're from Arendelle. But, we know this place really well. Can we show them around, Jack? Please?"

Jack sighed and nodded his head, asking himself why he had to have such a convincing sister. Missy squealed and immediately dragged Rapunzel over to the baker's, declaring that they had the best treats ever. "You _have_ to try their honey rolls, Rapunzel! They're to die for!"

Jack followed them, stepping in time with Eugene next to him. "So, Jack," he said, scratching his chin, "How long have you lived here?" Jack glanced at him in interest. The man did look familiar, but he didn't know how.

"About three or four years ago," Jack said, leaning against the window. Inside, Missy was chatting excitedly with Rapunzel, gesturing at all of the goodies behind the glass case.

"Arendelle, huh?" Eugene asked, "I've been there a few times. Nice place."

Jack just nodded. Missy and Rapunzel came out, each holding honey buns in both hands. "Eugene, you have to try these! They're delicious!" Rapunzel said, pushing one into his hand. Jack laughed at his face, somewhere between shock and disgusted.

"We should go see the fountains next. They're beautiful, and they grant wishes!" Missy said, running off with everyone in tow.

Much later, after the group hit most of tourist destinations, they ended up back in the plaza.

"And then Jack said, 'I can catch that pig for you, ma'am.' And he spent the rest of the day chasing that damn-"

"_Missy_."

"_Darn_ pig down all over town. It was so funny!"

"Did he catch it?"

"Yeah. It ran away again a week later, but we haven't been able to find it since."

"Poor pig."

"Don't feel bad, Rapunzel. It's probably out in the woods having a make-fun-of-Jack's-horrible-pig-catching-skills with the other animals."

Rapunzel laughed, ignoring Jack's death stare directed straight at Missy."Hey, at least I caught it." "

You still have to pay Mr. Martin back for his herd."

Just then, a small band passed by, playing a lively tune. Rapunzel smiled and followed them to the middle of the square, where she suddenly started to dance. After a few minutes, Rapunzel dragged Missy and some other people with her until almost the whole square was dancing along. Jack and Eugene stayed off to the side, watching the others. Rapunzel gestured to Eugene to join her, and after a few minutes of debate, Jack pushed him into the crowd, laughing at his expression.

Missy came out a minute later, panting heavily. "You tired, Pumpkin?" Jack asked, smiling. Missy shook her head, her brown curls bouncing.

"Why don't you join us, Jack?" she said, "It's fun."

Jack hesitated a minute. He hadn't danced in a long time. Not since he left Arendelle…

"Please, Jack?"

"You know I don't dance, Missy."

"I saw you dance with Elsa back when I was little."

"Well, that was a long time ago." Just then, Rapunzel came by.

"This is the best birthday ever!" she shouted, slightly dizzy from all of the spinning, "Why don't you join us, Jack?" Jack groaned and put his head in his hands.

"He says he doesn't dance."

"That's ridiculous. Everyone can dance! Come on, Jack, dance with me!"

"Rapunzel, no. I really don't-" Jack started to say, but Rapunzel dragged him out to the middle of the plaza. "It's easy. Just watch me." she said, twirling around him. "I really don't-whoa!" he protested, but got pulled into the dance circle. Soon, it was either dance or get trampled. Jack tripped a few times, but eventually got the hang of it.

"Go, Jack!" he heard Missy yell over the music. Jack laughed as he danced along, switching partners every few steps. When the music stopped, he ended up holding a busty woman wearing a gray and pink dress. The woman smiled at him as she stepped back and said, "You're a pretty good dancer, young man. What's your name?"

"Jack."

"Let me know if you need any formal training, Jack. The name's Gloria. I live in the blue house near the bridge."

"Gloria!"

"I'm coming, Melvin!" Gloria gave Jack another smile and ran off to find Melvin. Missy ran up to him.

"I can't believe you actually danced!" she squealed, hopping around Jack like a kangaroo, "That was the most I've seen you smile in months."

"Well, it was all thanks to you, Pumpkin." he said, spinning her around in the air.

"To the boats!" someone yelled, causing everyone to chatter loudly.

"Hey, where did Rapunzel go?" Missy asked, looking around the plaza. Jack swiveled his head. "There they are." he said, pointing. Rapunzel and Eugene stood off to the side, looking at each other with awkward smiles. Missy and Jack made their way over to them.

"Hey, guys." Missy said, "Are you ready to see the lanterns?"

"Yes! I've been waiting to see them up close my whole life!" Rapunzel exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"Up close?"

"Hey, Jack, can I talk to you for a second?" Eugene said, pulling him away from the girls. Once they were a considerable distance from them, Eugene said in a low voice, "Hey, um, this is a little awkward, but I need to borrow a boat. Can you get one for me?"

Jack was confused. "Why do you need me to do this? Can't you do it yourself? And what did she mean by 'up close'?"

"Well, uh," Eugene said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Rapunzel… let's just say she doesn't get out much. And as for the boat, the kingdom and I aren't exactly on good terms lately."

Just then, Jack realized who he was. "You're Flynn Rider!" he said, eyes widening. Eugene covered his mouth quickly. "Dude, I'm trying to be discreet here."

"Sorry," Jack said, pulling his mouth away, "You look different than your wanted posters."

"They just can't get my nose right!" Eugene exclaimed. Jack laughed, and soon Eugene was laughing along, drawing attention from the townspeople. "You need a boat? I can get you one." Jack said.

"Really? Thanks." Jack and Eugene shook hands and walked back to the girls. "What were you talking about?" Missy asked, crossing her arms. Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the docks. "Jack! What are we doing?"

"We're getting a boat for Eugene and Rapunzel." Missy stopped for a second, then ran ahead, dragging Jack with her. "Missy!"

"We need to hurry before all of the good boats are gone!" she yelled as they passed the huge ships sailing off. Finally, they saw a small boat unattended near the edge of the dock. "This one will do." Missy said climbing on.

Jack paused. "Missy, this is our boat."

"I know. They can use it for awhile."

"I thought you wanted to use it this year."

"We can do something else this year." Just then, Rapunzel and Eugene came running in.

"What's this for?" Rapunzel asked. Missy jumped out of the boat. "This for you and Eugene to use tonight."

"Really?"

Jack pulled Eugene off to the side. "There are two lanterns folded up underneath the seat." he said, "Just unfold them and light them with these."

He handed him a couple matches. Eugene grinned and stuck them in his pocket. "Thanks a lot, Jack. I hope I can repay the favor one day."

"Eugene!" Rapunzel called out, waving from the boat, "Come on, it's getting dark!"

Jack pushed them out into the harbor, then stood back and watched them float away. "You know they like each other." Missy told him, grasping his hand.

"Really?" Jack said, "How do you know that?"

"I can tell."

Jack laughed quietly to himself as they started to make their way home.

* * *

_Three days later_… So, it turned out that Rapunzel was the lost princess. Jack found that out two days after the lantern festival, when she and Eugene came to his house in the middle of the night and asked for shelter.

Rapunzel's long, blonde hair had gotten chopped off and turned brown during that time period. She looked so different that Jack didn't recognize her at first.

They told him about the glowing and the evil mother and the crown and the only thought that went through Jack's mind the whole time they were telling him this was '_I'm glad Missy isn't awake right now._'

When they were done, it took a few minutes for Jack to say something. "Uh… So, you're the long lost princess? I'm guessing you want to see the king and queen, right?"

"We're going first thing in the morning." Eugene said, taking hold of Rapunzel's hand. Jack stared at them, remembering the days when he and Elsa used to sit on the bank of the lake in the woods and talk about nothing in particular, just enjoying each other's company.

"-let us know."

Jack shook his head of the memories. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

Rapunzel laughed and started over. "Since I can do anything I want when I meet my parents, if there's anything you need or want, just let us know."

"Thanks Rapunzel, but I think we're-" Jack started to say, then stopped and though about it. "Actually, my sister's birthday is coming up soon, and I've been saving up for a trip back to Arendelle. Do you think you can arrange a ride?"

* * *

**I'm so so so so sorry about the delay, but I'm gonna give the normal schoolwork excuse, so we should be good. Please review and tell me how bad/good/eh it is.**


	5. Chapter 5

"And so," Mr. Fischbach, the royal tutor, droned on in a monotone voice, "Weselton is known mostly for its trade, but also has a great monarchy in which there are- Your Highness?"

Elsa quickly focused her attention on him. "I'm listening." she said, giving him an apologetic smile.

Mr. Fischbach sighed. "Your Highness, you need to pay attention if you want to take over the throne. Your mother and father worked very hard to make Arendelle a successful kingdom, and I will not allow the future queen to inherit the throne without proper instruction. Now, Weselton has a very old monarchy…"

Try as she might, Elsa just couldn't keep her mind on the lesson. Her gaze turned to the locked window of the classroom, which had a near perfect view of the Arendelle Harbor. Large trading ships, small fishing boats, and every kind of boat in between docked here everyday, with all kinds of people traveling to and from Arendelle. Elsa watched the sailors bring a rather large ship into the dock. _Must be a trading ship_, she thought, searching for the country's flag.

"Your Highness?"

Elsa looked at Mr. Fischbach apologetically. "I'm very sorry if I was not paying attention to your lesson," she said, "I'll keep my focus on the lesson from now on."

He stared at her for a full minute, and then sighed. "Aside from your parents, I seem to have the most contact with you on a daily basis. I can tell when your mind is elsewhere, Your Highness. I can handle it as long as it isn't constantly happening, but I must insist that you must keep your attention here as much as possible. Now, let us please get on with today's lesson. Weselton's monarchy…"

Another hour passed before Elsa was allowed to go back to her room. She was just about to open her bedroom door when she saw Anna walking down the hall. Anna stopped in her tracks when she saw her older sister. They stared at each other for what felt like a century.

"Hi, Elsa," Anna finally said with a half-hearted wave. Her white streak of hair stood out against the light auburn braids, making Elsa feel slightly nauseous.

"H-Hello, Anna." she said, rushing to get in her room before her gloves froze over again. She shut the door just as small amounts of frost started to creep from her fingertips. "Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel." she chanted to herself, pacing the room as she tried to warm up her hands, "Conceal, don't feel."

Finally, the frost receded until her gloves were just slightly damp. She sighed and peeled them off, placing them on her desk. Her eyes wandered around the room, landing on the covered window. She went over to it and unlocked the shutters, letting the sunlight warm her skin. This window didn't have the harbor view like the classroom did, but she could still see the ships coming and going.

"I wish I could go somewhere," she said to herself, tracing invisible patterns on the glass, "Anywhere would be more fun than my own room." Frost followed her fingertips, but she didn't do anything about it, lost in her fantasies of far-away lands.

Suddenly, a commotion near one of the boats outside made her daydreams vanish. "What's going on?" she asked to nobody in particular as she tried to get a better view of what was happening. It looked like someone had fallen overboard one of the ships-the same trading ship from before-and people were trying to get them out. Elsa scraped the thickening ice off of the window in order to see better. A boy dived in after the person who had fallen and for a few tense moments, Elsa didn't see anyone come up.

"Please be alright. Please be alright," she whispered as she continued to scrape the rapidly reappearing ice off. Finally, two people burst from the surface, coughing and sputtering, but otherwise, they looked okay. Elsa relaxed, relieved that they were both okay. She leaned closer to the window, trying to see who had fallen overboard and who had saved them. The person who fell in looked like a young girl around twelve or thirteen years old. The boy who had dived in after her had a messy mop of brown hair that sort of reminded her of-

"Elsa?"

She jumped, freezing the entire window over. She looked behind her and saw her parents near the doorway. "Mama, Papa!" she said, trying to close the shades and reach for her gloves at the same time, "I-I didn't- I wasn't-"

"What were you thinking, Elsa?" the King said, rushing forward and closing the window for her, "Someone could've seen you use your powers!"

"Adgar, that's enough." the Queen said sternly, shutting the door behind her, "She didn't mean to leave her window open."

"I'm sorry," Elsa said, pulling her gloves as high as they would go, "I just... I wanted to feel the sun."

The King looked at her and nodded, going back to stand next to the Queen on the other side of the room. Elsa tried not to feel hurt, but she couldn't help it. She hated the distance between them. She hadn't even touched them in years. Elsa pushed down the feelings before they showed themselves through snow.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, being the good girl she had to be.

Her parents exchanged a strange look. "Elsa," the Queen said slowly, "Your father and I have been talking, and we've decided that you're old enough and mature enough for you to start coming out of the castle more often."

Elsa stared at them for a long while. "You…want me to come out of my room?"

"You're eighteen years old, Elsa," her father said, "You need to come out of here sometime. The people are starting to wonder what became of you." Elsa was only half listening to him. She was too busy trying to calm herself down. _I'm not ready for that!_ She thought frantically, _There's no way I can go out there now! What if I froze something? What if someone found out?_

"I think the first thing we should do is hold a dinner party."

Elsa made herself focus on her parents. "I'm sorry, what?"

"If you're going to come out into the public again, we need to ease you into it slowly," the King said, "I think we should start with a small dinner party, with only you, us, and the council members."

"A dinner party?"

"It'll be fine, Elsa," the Queen said, "We can put it off until you're ready."

_A dinner party. Maybe that won't be so bad. As long as I have my gloves on, I can go through with this._

"I…I think that's a good idea." Elsa said, subconsciously rubbing her palms together, "We can do that if you want."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," the King said. The messenger, Kai, poked his head in. "Your Majesties, there's someone here to see you. He says he has a message from Corona."

Elsa looked up as the King nodded. "Tell him I'll see him in the east parlor." Kai nodded and rushed out of the room. The Queen looked at Elsa. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, worry showing through her face.

Elsa nodded and said, "I'll be fine, Mother."

_Someone from Corona? Could it be…?_

"I'll see you at the party, then." the Queen said as she exited the room.

As soon as the door was shut, Elsa bit her fist, trying to contain her squeals. 'Calm down, Elsa,' part of Elsa's brain told her, 'It's probably not him at all. It could be anyone from Corona.' _I just saw him at the pier!_ She thought back, _And he is from Corona now!_

Elsa paced the room quickly, trying to get her thoughts to stop arguing. "There's only one way to find out." she said aloud after a minute of useless self-war. She went to the door and slowly peeked into the hallway. No one was around as far as she could see. She took a slow, deep breath and ran towards the east parlor, where she heard a discussion between three people.

"She's alive?" she heard her mother say, "After all of these years?"

"Are you completely sure of this?" her father said.

"Absolutely," said a voice that Elsa knew almost as well as her own. "Jack." she whispered, her smile growing bigger as Jack continued to talk. "I saw her with my own eyes. She's a lot like your daughter, Princess Anna."

Elsa risked a small peek into the room. Jack was standing near the fireplace, his hair still wet from his dive. He looked so much older than he did three or four years ago. "By the way, her name is Rapunzel."

"Rapunzel." the Queen repeated, sitting in a chair, "I can't believe my niece has finally reappeared after all this time." The King kneeled next to her. "Your brother must've had the shock of his life." he said with a small smile. The Queen smiled back. "He always was hard to scare."

Jack looked at the door then and saw Elsa peeking in. Elsa's eyes widened, and she almost backed away, but then Jack grinned at her and winked. She smiled back at him just as the King turned his attention back to Jack.

"Is there any other news you would like to share, Mr. North?"

Jack looked at the King again before Elsa could blink. "Actually, yes there is," he said with a knowing smile, "Princess Rapunzel would like to invite you to her wedding in two weeks."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"A wedding?"

"She's engaged? To whom?"

"She's getting married to Mr. Eugene Fitzherbert," Jack replied with a small grin.

Elsa nearly started laughing. _What kind of last name is Fitzherbert?_

"Well," the Queen said, obviously holding back her laughter, "This, ah, Eugene must be something special if Rapunzel wants to marry him so badly." "Forget what I said earlier," the King said, "_This_ is the shock of a lifetime." J

ack looked at Elsa again with laughter in his eyes. Elsa shook her head, smiling back at him. It felt so good to see Jack again after all these years. "Well, thank you for the message," the King said, standing up, "When will you be returning to Corona?"

"In about three days, Your Majesty." _Three days. I only have three days with him before he leaves. _

"Your Highness?"

Elsa turned and saw Greta, one of the maids. "You're not supposed to be out here." she whispered.

Elsa looked at Jack one more time before turning back to Greta. "Of course, Greta. I was just heading back to my room."

Greta nodded and hurriedly escorted her back to the bedroom. "Oh, wait just a moment." Elsa said, hurrying inside. She came out a moment later with a piece of folded paper. "Will you please give this to the messenger from Corona right away?"

* * *

Jack was just walking away from the castle when something slammed into him.

"Ow!" he cried out, looking for his sister, "What was that for, Missy?"

"Sorry," Missy said, slightly out of breath, "I was just playing tag with some of the other kids and I wasn't watching were I was going."

Jack grinned as he saw six more kids staring at him expectantly.

"Well, who am I to stop you?" he said, "Go ahead and play."

Missy hugged him and ran off with her new friends.

"Be back in time for dinner, Missy!"

"I will!"

"Excuse me, sir."

Jack turned and saw one of the palace servants with a paper in her hand.

"Are you the messenger from Corona?" she asked.

"Yes, that's me."

The servant held out the piece of paper to him. "Princess Elsa has instructed me to give this to you right away."

_Elsa._

"Thank you, ma'am." he said, taking the letter. The servant went back inside as Jack tore the letter open.

_Jack,_ the letter read, _Meet me by our lake tonight at midnight, if you can. We have a lot of catching up to do. Elsa._

Jack put the letter into his pocket, nearly exploding with excitement. Of course, he did see her a few minutes ago in the castle, but that didn't really count. Now he was going to actually talk to her for the first time in years. Jack made his way back to the little inn where he and Missy were staying in, suddenly feeling nervous.

He wasn't sure why he felt so scared. He was just going to meet his best friend in the whole world who turned into one of the prettiest girls he'd ever seen_ and_ who was also the Crown Princess of Arendelle.

"Stop it." he told himself, trying very hard not to let that thought settle, "You're acting ridiculous, Jack. It's just Elsa." He lay down on the bed, covering his face with his hands. "It's just Elsa," he repeated, trying to make himself believe it, "It's just Elsa. It's just Elsa…"

* * *

**Hey guys, I'm really sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter. Hopefully it will be good enough to last awhile. I might not post again for a few weeks, to be honest, but I do plan to continue Northern Lights, even if it kills me. (Hopefully it won't. *fingers crossed*) Anyway, if you have questions, suggestions, or if you want to scream at me for the long wait or about anything else bothering you in life, please review and/or message me and I'll get back to you when I can. See you all later. Bye bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

Elsa paced back and forth along the edge of the lake, rubbing her hands together nervously. _Where is he?_ she wondered, looking through the trees again for any sign of Jack. She worried that Greta had lost him and didn't deliver the letter. She said that she did, though. Maybe he didn't even want to show up.

"Stop it, Elsa." she said to herself as she sat down on the bank, "Of course he would show up." She stared at the moon's reflection on the lake, resting her chin on her knees. It felt like she'd been waiting forever. "Why am I so worried?" she whispered out loud, "He probably just late, that's all. He wouldn't leave me waiting like this."

"Of course not." Elsa spun around, searching for the voice, but she didn't see anyone around. "I would never do that to my best friend." She slowly turned until her blue eyes met a pair of familiar brown eyes. "Hello, princess." he said. He was so close to her face, their noses were almost touching. Elsa jumped back, turning red at the close proximity.

"You scared me, Jack." she said, standing up uneasily. Jack was trying very hard not to laugh. "I can't help it. You're too easy to scare."

Elsa tried her best to stare him down, but after about ten seconds, both of them started laughing. "I've been practicing, too," Elsa said, holding her side. When they both calmed down, an uneasy silence fell over them. Neither of them knew what to say to each other.

"So how is-" they both said at the same time, "Oh, you go- No, you start-"

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling to himself. "You spoke first, Elsa."

Elsa giggled softly. "Well, um, I was just asking about your sister. How is she?"

"Missy's great. She's grown up a lot since you last saw her. Just turned twelve yesterday."

Elsa's eyes widened. "Has it been that long already?"

"Yep. It's been a long time." Elsa smiled at Jack. He looked so happy when he talked about his sister. "And how are you?" she asked, settling herself on the ground. Jack joined her a second later.

"Oh, you know. The usual," he said, "Work, keeping Missy out of trouble, keeping the boys away." Elsa had to giggle a little. "What's so funny?"

"You're such a big brother," she said, "It's nice to see that you care about her so much." Jack grinned at her. "Well, we're all each other has," he said, leaning back, "We gotta stick together if we're gonna make it out there."

Elsa kept quiet for a while. "Hey, Jack?"

"Hm?"

"Do you remember that one time when we tried to make a cake for your mom and we ended up covered in flour?"

Jack laughed. "I sure do. One of the best days of my life. Remember when we went sledding and ran into that statue in the square?"

"How could I forget? I think I still have bruises." They laughed and talked more about the old days. "I wish we could have more fun like that," Elsa said. Jack smiled.

"Well," he said, standing up and reaching his hand out to her, "Who said we can't right now?" Elsa gave him a strange look, but took his hand. He pulled her up, catching her when she stumbled.

"Close enough," he said, laughing until he realized how close they were. Elsa looked up shyly, realizing the same thing. If he tilted his head and moved a couple inches closer, he would be able to…

"Uh," Jack said, his brain turning into mush, "Maybe, um, we should start simple." He pushed her back until his brain started to work again.

_What was that about?_ they both wondered. Elsa shook her head slightly, scolding herself mentally. "Are you okay?" She looked up and nodded, hoping that her face wasn't too red. Jack's face was starting to cool down, too, but there was still a lingering blush left on his ears.

"Okay," he said, "Take off your gloves."

"What? Oh, no, no, no, no."

"It's okay, Elsa. It's the middle of the night and no one's around. What could happen?"

"But-" Elsa tried to think of another excuse to not take off her gloves, but her mind was still trying to recover from before. "I just don't think that's a good idea, Jack."

Jack suddenly got an idea. "C'mon, Elsa," he said playfully, "I wanna build a snowman."

Elsa looked at him strangely, then broke out into a smirk. "You're gonna have to catch me first." she said, then darted off along the side of the lake. Jack ran after her, laughing as they chased each other around. He finally caught up to her after five minutes of running and both of them were out of breath.

"I… win," he panted, "Your… Highness."

Elsa laughed, also panting heavily. "As… if." Elsa wiped her forehead before taking her gloves off.

"Stand back." she told quickly made a snow bank with a wave of her hand, then sat down on it. "It's pretty comfy." she said.

Jack shrugged and sat down next to her. "Kinda chilly, though." he said, shuddering a little.

Elsa leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "Sorry about the cold, but it _is_ snow, after all."

Jack took the time to really look at her. There were some obvious differences, like the fact that she was taller and well, _older_, but there a few minor changes, too. Like how the freckles on her face seemed more subdued than the last time he saw her, and how she carried herself with more poise and dignity than before.

Elsa caught him staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Jack struggled for an answer. "About… your hair."

"My hair? What wrong with-"

"Nothing's wrong with it." he assured her, "I was just thinking about how you put it up a long time ago."

"You mean the braid?"

"Yeah. The braid. It looked good on you."

Elsa looked away, blushing slightly. "Thank you, Jack."

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest. Jack caught himself staring at Elsa again and look away quickly. All of a sudden, the sky was ablaze with color, shining down on them like the sun.

"Wow." Jack said, "I almost forgot how beautiful the lights are here."

Elsa shook her head in wonder. "I can never get used to this, no matter how many times I see it."

Jack and Elsa watched the lights in awe, enjoying each other's company.

"My parents are hosting a dinner party tomorrow night," Elsa said suddenly, "If you wanted to come, I could get you an invitation."

"A dinner party, you say?" Jack said, "Do I have to wear a suit?"

Elsa laughed. "Well, you have to at least wear something clean. And take a bath."

"Hey, I don't smell that bad!" Jack said, poking her side. Elsa squirmed away, stifling her giggle.

"Oh, so that's how it is," Jack said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. Elsa knew that look.

"Jack, no. Don't even-Jack!"

He began tickling her mercilessly, causing her to squeal and squirm away from him.

"St-stop it! Jack, hahaha! Please!"

Jack stopped suddenly and looked at her. "I actually got a please from the princess? That's something not everyone can say."

Elsa blushed and looked away from his intense stare.

"Jack?" she asked, sitting up, "Why did you come back to Arendelle?"

Jack looked at her for a long time before sitting back in the snow.

"I told everyone that I came back on an errand for the royal family, and that Missy wanted a vacation. But, if I'm being honest with myself, I really came back because of you."

Elsa's eyes widened. "Me?"

Jack nodded. "It was hard being away from you for even a week. Can you imagine three years?"

Elsa leaned back, looking at the sky.

"Yeah, I can," she said.

Both of them stayed quiet afterwards, watching the northern lights sway across the sky, and without realizing it, grabbed each other's hands. They stayed like this until the lights faded away and the brief hint of morning showed itself in the east. Jack stretched his back, unsuccessfully holding back a yawn, when he looked down and realized that Elsa had fallen asleep, still grasping onto his hand with her head on his shoulder. He smiled and carefully moved a stray hair from her face.

"Elsa," he said, "I promise I'll protect you. Nothing will keep me from getting to you when you need me."

Jack softly kissed her forehead, then adjusted himself so that he could pick her up easily, with her head still laying on top of his shoulder. He picked up her abandoned gloves and started making the long trek back to the castle. Unknown to both of them, the snow behind them melted away, leaving no trace of anyone being there.

Jack placed Elsa underneath a cherry tree, where someone was bound to find her soon.

"I'm sorry I can't take you to your room," he said quietly, "But I hope that this will do for now." Jack straightened up and picked a cherry blossom off of the tree and quickly placed it in her hair.

"Sweet dreams, princess." he said. He heard a noise coming from somewhere in the gardens, and bolted, jumping over the wall in one bound. He pulled himself up to make sure Elsa was alright, just as the old gardener stooped over to wake her up. Jack let go of the wall and tiredly made his way back to the inn, where he hoped Missy wasn't awake yet. She thankfully wasn't, and he fell onto his bed, already fast asleep.

* * *

_Elsa was standing on her balcony, smiling at all of the townspeople who had gathered in the square. They were accepting of her powers, they were happy for her. They weren't scared of her at all. Elsa smiled bigger, wishing that today would last forever. _

_"I told you they'd love you," said a voice beside her. Elsa turned towards him and grabbed his hand. _

_"They love you, too, you know." His brown hair was messily combed, as usual, and his eyes still held that childlike mischief. "But you know what, Elsa?" He leaned towards her, making her breath hitch slightly. "I-"_

"Princess? Princess Elsa?"

Elsa moaned, wishing she could go back to her dream and hear what Jack was going to tell her.

"Princess, what are you doing here?"

She finally opened her eyes, squinting against the sunlight. She saw a figure standing above her.

"Jack?"

"Who's Jack?"

Elsa rubbed her eyes vigorously until she saw an old man in dirty clothes and thick work gloves. 'He must be the gardener,' she thought, 'But I don't remember his name.'

"Your Majesty, are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yes. Yes, I'm fine. I was just… ah… sleepwalking."

The gardener didn't look convinced. "Sleepwalking?"

"Yes. I must have wondered into the gardens by mistake," she said, searching for her gloves when she realized she didn't have them on. Thankfully, they were right next to her on a large stone. She pulled them on as just as the old gardener said, "Well, there's no harm done here, as far as I can see. I'll fetch one of the guards to escort you back to your room."

"Oh, no. That won't be necessary, sir." she said hurriedly as she stood up, "I can find my way back myself."

The gardener looked at her with emerald green eyes. "I'd feel more comfortable if someone went with you."

Elsa was about to object again when he pulled off his work gloves and tried to fix his thinning gray hair. "Don't wanna go through the castle looking like a bum, now." he said, "Come along now, Princess. Let's get you back to your room."

He was already moving by the time Elsa knew what was going on. "Wait, you don't really-"

"You don't want a guard, so I'm taking you myself. Don't you try to convince me otherwise, young lady."

Elsa hung back a second until she decided there was nothing else she could do except let him do what he wanted. She caught up to him at the front gate, trying to convince the guard into letting him inside.

"I'm taking the Princess back to her room," he was saying, "I'll only be there a few minutes."

"Yeah, right, old man." the guard said, "Take a hike, will you? No one's allowed in the castle unless- Princess Elsa?!"

"He's telling the truth, sir." she said, holding her head high, "Let us through, please."

The guard, shocked that Princess Elsa was actually _out_ of her room, sputtered an apology and stepped aside, allowing them to enter. "Thank you." she said as they passed the guard. Elsa and the gardener walked through the halls silently, each full of their own thoughts.

"You know," the gardener said, startling Elsa, "For as long as I've been here, I've never had the pleasure of actually touring these halls. It's quite an honor, especially when I'm with royalty."

Elsa didn't know what to say, so she kept walking towards her room.

"Princess, who is Jack?" Elsa stopped and turned towards the gardener, who had paused a few steps back.

"You called me Jack when you woke up, miss," he continued, "I was just wondering who he was." Elsa stared at him for a while, contemplating whether or not to tell him.

"He's a friend." she finally replied, turning back around, "When I was little."

"He must've been a good friend if you still think about him."

Elsa nodded. "We used to play together all the time, but now…everything's different."

"It feels strange to have feelings toward a past friend."

Elsa blushed and tried to sputter out a response, but the gardener interrupted her, saying, "That was how I met my wife. She was a young lass when I first laid eyes in her. Now we're approaching…fifty-two years of marriage."

"Congratulations, sir." Elsa said, "How did you do it?"

The gardener looked at her and smiled. "The secret to a happy and long marriage is to allow mistakes to happen. Everyone has bad days, but you can't give up a hundred good days just for one bad day."

The old gardener gestured towards the door. "I believe this is your room, miss." Elsa looked at the blue door. She didn't even know they had reached her room. She turned back to the gardener.

"Thank you for taking me back to my room, sir. And thank you for the advice."

The gardener dipped his head. "My pleasure, Princess Elsa. Don't forget to let it go!"

Elsa was walking inside her room when he said this, causing her to turn around in confusion.

"What did you…" she started to ask the gardener, only he wasn't there anymore. She looked up and down the hall, but couldn't see him anywhere. Elsa, even more confused now, entered her room and leaned back against the door.

"That was really weird." she said, mulling over her walk with the friendly old man who could apparently vanish into thin air. Elsa shook her head, telling herself to forget about him.

"He's probably just a fast walker." she reasoned, not really believing herself. She walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge, suddenly growing weary. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and felt her fingers brush against something. Elsa pulled it back and stared at the cherry blossom, a small smile gracing her lips. She yawned and laid back on the bed, gently placing the flower on her nightstand and telling herself that she should get some rest. Closing her eyes, she thought back to last night, and how Jack was so sweet and kind and caring and…

'Yep, it's official,' she thought as sleep came over her, 'I've officially fallen for my best friend. Great. Just great…'

* * *

**What's up guys? Finally, the part we've all been waiting for! Hopefully it's good enough. Anyway, in other news, I'm actually working on a couple of new stories that'll make an ****appearance soon, so be on the lookout for those. That's going to be it for now, so remember to review and I'll talk to you later. Bye-bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

"You're going WHERE?!"

Jack winced as the expected high-pitch squeal almost pierced his eardrums. He almost regretted telling Missy about the invitation, but there was no turning back now. Missy was currently jumping on the bed, almost hitting her head on the ceiling.

"This is the coolest thing ever!" she screamed out loud, then ran over to the window and threw it open. "Hey, everyone! My brother is going to-HMM!"

Jack jumped forward and clamped his hand over her mouth before anymore words could escape. "Are you insane?" he asked her, shutting the window and closing the curtains, "It's supposed to be a secret!"

"But why?" Missy asked, crossing her arms, "This is the biggest news in the world! Elsa invited my super awesome brother to dinner, and I'm not supposed to brag? That's just cruel."

"It's a party, Miss," Jack said, "All of the important people are going to be there, including the King and Queen. Not just me."

"So you get to meet her parents, too? That's one step closer to me being a princess!"

Jack looked at Missy incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

Missy rolled her eyes. "Duh, I'm talking about you and Elsa getting married! What else could I mean?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You got the wrong idea. We haven't seen each other in forever, and now you want us to get married?"

"Well, you obviously still like her, and she invited you to a dinner with her parents, and-"

"That's not enough reason to marry someone."

"But you like each other!"

Jack sighed, flopping onto the bed and crossing his arms across his eyes. Why did his sister have to be such a hopeless romantic, emphasize on hopeless. He could live with it most days, but sometimes, he wished that Missy wouldn't get her head stuck in the clouds.

"Well, we need to get you ready for that party, so let's get going."

Jack sat up and found Missy standing by the door with their pouch of coins in her hands. "What are you doing?" Jack asked, standing up and reaching for the pouch, "We need that for the trip home."

Missy ducked out of the way and kept the pouch out of his reach. "We need to get you a decent suit for the party," she said, dodging her brother's repeated grasps, "That one you brought ain't gonna cut it."

"It's fine, Missy. Give me the money!"

"Oh really?" she said, rushing over to their suitcase, tossing the pouch back. Jack leaped to catch it as Missy rummaged around and pulled out a rough, slightly tattered suit the color of dark mud. "You mean this old thing?" she asked, holding it by her fingertips and as far away from her body as possible, "It's ugly!"

"It's still a suit, and I'm not spending our money on a new one." Jack said, hiding the pouch in a high cabinet.

"It doesn't even look like it would fit," Missy said, throwing the suit onto the bed, "Where did you even get it?"

Jack hesitated a second. "It was Dad's. Mom gave it to me."

Missy grew quiet for a second, looking at the suit again. She knew that their parents were a tough subject to talk about, but it was slightly easier for her to talk about their dad than Jack, since she had no memory of him.

"Well, no offense to Dad," she said, "But that suit is ugly, and I'm not letting you go to the castle looking like a hobo."

Jack looked at Missy for a long time. She could be the most stubborn girl in the world when she had her mind set to something. Finally, Jack sighed and threw his hands up into the air. "Alright, what do you want me to wear, then?"

Missy's smile could light up the sun, if such a thing was possible. She jumped up and grabbed his hand, nearly ripping his arm out of his socket. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" she said, dragging him out of the room, "I have the most brilliant idea ever!"

"Missy, slow down!" Jack said as she dragged him out of the inn and through the town, right up to a simple, red brick house. Missy let go of his arm and knocked on the door. Jack rubbed his arm and looked at the house. "Where are we, Missy?"

"Shhh," she said, knocking again.

"Hold on a minute, I'm coming." A voice called out from within the house. The door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman with graying hair and red clothes. "Why, hello child." She said, smiling at Missy, "How can I help you?"

"Do you remember me?" Missy said, "My name is Melissa North. Our mom used to work with you when I was little?"

The lady looked at her for a while, then a flash of recognition flew across her face. "Well, mark my words. Little Missy is all grown up." The lady smiled at her brightly, then looked up at Jack, who was almost a head taller than her. "This must be your brother. Jackson, was it?"

"Just Jack, ma'am." He said, reaching out to shake her hand, "It's nice to meet you."

"Well, don't be a stranger. Come on in!" she said, stepping inside," "I'll fetch us some tea."

Jack and Missy made their way inside the small house, where rolls of fabric and baskets of trims and thread were strewn all over the place and tucked into corners.

"Not exactly tidy, is she?" Jack mumbled to himself before turning to Missy, "Why are we here?" Missy just smiled at him as the lady came back with a tray of tea and cookies.

"Sorry about the mess, dears. I wasn't expecting company today. Please, please sit down and have some tea."

"I don't believe I caught your name," Jack remarked as the lady handed him a cup of tea.

"You can just call me Flora, dear. Now, what can I do for you two?" Jack looked at Missy, wondering what her brilliant plan was.

"Can you make my brother a suit for tonight?"

Jack almost spit out his drink, staring at her like she was nuts.

"Tonight? Whatever for?"

Missy was about to tell the lady everything, but Jack grabbed her arm before she could. "Will you please excuse us for a moment?" he asked politely, smiling at Flora.

"Of course," she said, standing up and walking out of the room. As soon as she left, Jack turned to Missy, who had a smug look on her face.

"Seriously, Miss?" he asked, "You went up to some stranger and asked for a suit?"

"First of all, she's not a stranger," she said, crossing her arms, "Secondly, I'm just trying to be helpful. Flora and her sisters are the best tailors in town. They can whip up a beautiful gown in minutes. I've seen them do it."

Jack sighed, putting his head into his hands. He honestly didn't know what to do with Missy half the time. "You need to learn how to control yourself," he finally said, "You can't just walk up to someone and instantly expect them to help you out just because you ask."

"But Jack," she said, "They can help. Just believe me, okay?" Jack looked into Missy's large brown eyes, filled with hope and wonder.

"Fine. Let them in." he said after a long pause. Missy grinned and went to the door to tell Flora. Jack lowered his head again, going back to last night and remembering how Elsa was so happy when they were playing together. He smiled, hoping that she would be just as happy tonight at the dinner. A buzz of noises made him look up as Flora and two other ladies came in with tape measures and needles and fabric.

"Well, aren't you a handsome fellow?" said the one in the green dress.

"He sure looks like it, don't he?" Flora said as she pulled him onto a small pedestal in the middle of the room, "Now, do you have any color preferences?"

"I think blue would suit his skin tone the best," said the one wearing blue, "All of the young men these days are wearing blue."

"Perhaps a nice red would do," Flora said, wrapping the tape measure around his body, "It would compliment his hair nicely."

"Now, maybe a dark green would suffice well enough for tonight." The green clothed woman said as she starting pinning fabric to his shirt.

Jack looked at Missy, who had snuck in and was watching the ladies bicker with a small smile. Jack shook his head slightly, a bewildered look in his eyes. Missy just shrugged her shoulders and smiled even bigger. Jack sighed slowly. Hopefully, she was right, and the ladies would hold up their end of the deal. All of a sudden, he realized that he left their money in their room.

"Um," he said, unsure of the ladies' reactions, "I forgot to bring our money with us. We don't have any way to pay you."

Missy's eyes widened slightly, and she face-palmed herself, sighing softly.

"Oh, there doesn't have to be a charge, hon," said the green one, whose name might've been Fauna.

"We can do this for free," the blue one said.

"Yes, yes, of course." Flora said, measuring his neck, "We designs outfits every day for the royal family. They pay very well, especially for Princess Elsa's outfits with the nice gloves."

"Have you ever seen Elsa?" Missy asked before Jack could open his mouth.

"I believe we did, a long time ago," the blue one said, who was drawing on a small stool, "Back before the gates were closed. We met the royal family to get their measurements for Princess Anna's birth announcement. What a pretty girl she was."

"Merryweather, enough chatter," Flora said, undoing the tape around Jack's neck, "It's time to get to work."

She smiled at Jack "Come back in about an hour or so, and we'll have your suit finished."

"Thank you so much, ma'am," Jack said as Flora nearly pushed him and Missy out the door, "And really, it's no trouble if we pay-"

"I insist, there will be no paying," she said sternly, "Consider this a favor from a family friend. Now, shoo! We have work to do."

With that, Flora shut the door in their faces, leaving them with nothing to do for the next hour except wait.

"Well," Missy said, bouncing on her heels, "What do you wanna do?"

Jack thought about it for a second, looking at the castle. Finally, he grinned and looked down at Missy. "How about some hopscotch?"

* * *

**HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO! I AM NOT DEAD! Seriously, I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry about not updating in literally FOREVER! Long story short, my life became a huge mess, and I got really busy and YOU GUYS DON'T EVEN CARE ABOUT THAT AGAIN I AM SO SORRY! I'm working on this story (and others) as I find time and inspiration, so please bare with me. The next few updates might seem pointless and boring and slow, but I promise that things will start to speed up pretty soon. I WILL update Northern Lights again as soon as I possibly can, and I might even get a new picture for it, so be on the lookout. Thank you so much for reading, and I will see you as soon as I can. BYEEEE!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you sure about this?"

"When am I not sure? C'mon, I wanna see!"

"We worked very hard on that suit, dear. We want to see the final product."

Jack sighed and stepped into the room, adjusting his sleeves nervously. "Good enough for the palace?" he asked, looking at Missy's face.

She was speechless for about six seconds before actual words came out of her mouth. "You look so good, Jack! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a bona-fide prince!"

The three seamstresses nodded in agreement and rushed forward, chattering away as they pinned the suit up in minor ways. Missy stood nearby, smiling like she had gotten a puppy for Christmas. "Elsa's parents will have to love you now!"

Jack looked at his sister, exasperated. "Missy, I'm just going to a party."

"Where Elsa _and_ her parents will be!"

"Miss-"

"That should be all, dear," Fauna said as she stepped backwards to take another look.

"You look dashing!" Flora exclaimed as she pulled Merryweather away from him, "And the suit looks fine. There's nothing else we need to do."

"I'm glad we went with the blue," Merryweather said, "It's a very regal color."

"I still think red was the appropriate choice for the occasion, but this will do nicely."

"Or perhaps green would've sufficed, as well."

"He looks great, ladies." Missy interrupted before they could bicker anymore, "Thank you so much for your help."

"Yes, thank you." Jack added, shaking their hands, "I don't know what we would've done without you."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all," Fauna said, smiling at him. Jack looked at the nearby mirror. The blue and white suit fit him very well, to his surprise. Most suits were too loose on him. What he found strange about the suit was the swirling patterns on the shoulders and sleeves that were only visible in the correct light. These patterns almost reminded him of the frost Elsa made when she was nervous or angry.

He wanted to asked the seamstresses how they managed to create the pattern when a sudden knock on the door made everyone look up. "Who is that?" Missy asked.

"I think it's someone from the palace," Jack answered, standing up and brushing off his suit, "Stay there." He went up to the door and took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. He opened the door to reveal one of the servants from the palace, who held a fancy envelope in his hands. The servant appraised Jack, making him feel a little self-conscious. "Mr. North?"

"Yes, that's me." The servant held out the envelope to him and said, "You've been invited to attend a dinner with the royal family. I'm here to escort you to the palace on behalf of Princess Elsa. If you will come with me, please." The servant started to walk down the road, and Jack turned towards the women.

"Can you watch Missy until I get back?" he asked. They nodded, smiling at him in a way that made him a little uncomfortable. He knelt down to hug Missy. "I'll see you later tonight, okay?"

Missy hugged him back, giggling softly. "Have fun, Jack." She said, "Tell Elsa I said hello."

Jack laughed and got up to leave, following the servant out of the house and towards the castle. The sun was just about to set behind the sea, turning the sky into beautiful shades of orange and purple. Jack stopped for a moment to take it in.

"Is everything alright, sir?"

"Huh?" he asked, "Oh, everything's fine. Just enjoying the view."

The servant stood beside him, looking out towards the sea. "My father was a sailor," he said, "He once told me that a red sunrise meant that calm seas were ahead, but a red sunset would be devastating." Jack looked at the servant for a moment. He looked to be around thirty years old, with brownish-blonde hair and vivid green eyes. "Well, it's time to get going. Don't want to be late for the dinner." He said, turning and walking back to the castle.

Jack caught up to him and gave him another look.

"Have we met before?" he asked, "You look familiar, for some reason."

The servant shook his head. "I don't get out much, and I've never been to Corona before, so I don't believe we've ever met."

Jack nodded, then thought about his response as they entered the gates. "Wait, how did you know that I came from Corona?" Jack asked.

The servant shrugged. "Everyone's been talking about the diplomats from Corona, and I've never seen you before, so I assumed." The servant pointed towards a long hallway where faint music was being played. "Just head down that hallway, third door to the left. Can't miss it."

Jack looked down the hallway. He didn't even know that they had reached the palace already. He turned to thank the man, only to find himself alone in the hall. Jack looked around, but couldn't find him anywhere. He shrugged and made his way towards the music, which became louder the further he walked. The long hallway was ornately decorated with portraits and suits of armor. Jack was so busy staring that he missed the room altogether, and had to turn around. Just as he was about to open the double doors, he heard a soft voice down the hallway.

"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this."

Jack looked up and saw Elsa walking towards him with her head down, hands clasped together nervously. He stared at her for a moment, too stunned for words. Elsa wore a dark blue gown with off-the-shoulders long sleeves and long white gloves. Her blonde hair was up in an intricate bun, small tendrils framing her face like a painting. Elsa looked up suddenly and saw Jack standing by the door. She smiled widely, rushing forward to give him a hug.

"You came!" she said, wrapping her arms around him. She knew that it was probably unprofessional to hug someone in the middle of the hallway, but she couldn't help herself.

Jack regained himself just in time to hug her back. "You think I would skip out on you?" he said, wrapping his arms around her, hoping she couldn't feel his racing heart. Elsa pulled away and took a good look at him.

"Where did you get that suit from?" she asked, her eyes flashing back to his face before they could fully appreciate how well the suit fit his body.

Jack shrugged, tugging at his sleeves uncomfortably. "Missy managed to guilt-trip a few seamstresses into making this for free. You look great by the way, Elsa." Elsa smiled, looking down shyly and clasping her hands together again.

"Thank you, Jack." She said, feeling her cheeks heat up a small bit.

They stood outside the doors for a while, listening to the music and faint sounds of polite chatter.

"Well," Jack said, "Should we head inside?" Elsa looked at the doors for a moment with a worried expression.

"What if I freeze something?" she said, "What if I lose control and-"

Jack stopped her before she could continue, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, hey, hey," he said, "There's nothing to worry about, okay? You're going to do great in there."

Elsa looked at him unconvincingly.

"Tell you what," he said, "Whenever you feel cold, you just reach over and hold my hand until you feel comfortable again, alright?" Elsa thought for a moment and nodded. It wasn't the best plan, but it was better than no plan at all.

"Alright. You ready?" Jack said as he turned to open the door. Elsa nodded again as Jack opened the door.

* * *

"Thank you for coming," the Queen said as she stood by the door. The guests slowly mingled out of the dining hall, graciously thanking the King and Queen for the wonderful party. The King shook hands with an older Councilman and looked up to see Elsa deep in conversation with Jack.

"I'm glad she did so well," he told the Queen quietly.

The Queen looked up as well and smiled. "I think that boy had something to do with it," she whispered, "Are we sure we've never met him before?"

The King thought about it. Jack did seem familiar for some reason, but he couldn't explain why or how. "I honestly have no clue," he told her, watching his daughter smile, "But Elsa seems to like him."

"Maybe there's something there we're not seeing?" The Queen suggested with a small smile.

The king shook his head. "No, no, no," he assured his wife, "There's absolutely nothing to suggest that Elsa has even taken an interest in suitors."

"Look again," the Queen said, slyly pointing across the room. The King looked again and saw no difference in the conversation between Jack and Elsa.

"I don't understand," he admitted, turning towards the Queen, "What are you saying?"

"She is old enough, Adgar," the Queen said, "Maybe it's time to consider her future."

The King looked at the Queen incredulously, then looked at Elsa again. "Her powers aren't in control yet," he said, "She isn't ready yet."

"Maybe she is," the Queen said, "Maybe she's ready for someone like him."

She turned the King's face towards Elsa again, and right then, he saw that Elsa seemed much more cheerful around Jack, and smiled more tonight than in years. "Not to mention when we broke the news, she immediately took his hand," the Queen reminded him, "Tell me that doesn't mean anything."

"But she just met him!" he argued, "Elsa wouldn't do that for someone she just met!"

"Well, maybe she met him before, and we just forgot," she said, "How about we go ask her instead of whispering around?"

The King nodded, and after waving good-bye to their last guest, they walked over to Elsa and Jack.

"Well, I hoped you enjoyed yourself, Jackson," the King said, shaking Jack's hand.

"It was a pleasure. Thank you for inviting me." He said politely.

"Do you need any assistance on your way back?" the Queen asked, a warm smile gracing her lips.

Jack shook his head. "I can find my way back just fine, thank you."

"Remember, our offer still stands if you need a ride back to Corona," the King told him.

Jack smiled and nodded his head. "I will let you know if it comes to that." Jack turned to Elsa, who had been watching the interaction carefully. "Thank you for tonight, Elsa. I had a wonderful time."

"Thank you for coming, Jack. I'm glad you could come." She said.

Her parents watched closely, noticing Elsa's bright smile. They exchanged a look as Jack made his way out of the dining hall, waving good-bye.

As soon as he left the room, the King and Queen turned to Elsa, who looked at them nervously.

"Did you have a nice time, Elsa?" the King asked.

She nodded, a small smile still on her lips. "It was a very nice party. I'm glad it went well." She said, "I think it's time I should head to bed, however. Good night."

"Wait just a moment," the Queen said, "We have a few questions about Jack."

Elsa looked down, suddenly uneasy. "Alright," she said shyly, "What do you want to know?"

"You seem very comfortable with Jack," her father said, "Have you met him before?"

Elsa looked up, a little surprised that he didn't remember. "Well, um," she said, "His mother used to work for us when I was a child, and we used to play together all the time. It was before the accident."

Her parents exchanged another look. "So, you've known him for a long time," the Queen said, looking at Elsa.

She nodded. "Well, we've lost touch a few years ago, but yes, we've known each other for a long time."

"What is your opinion of him?" the King asked, earning a nudge from the Queen.

Elsa's cheeks turned pink, and words suddenly became hard to form. "Well, he um, he's a very good friend," she said, "And uh… He's hardworking and nice and a good brother to his sister."

Her parents nodded along, and the King raised his hand. "That's enough, Elsa," he said gently, "It's time for you to go to bed now."

Elsa nodded and walked towards the door, ready to fall asleep.

"Elsa?"

She turned to see her parents smiling at her. "We're proud of you. You did great tonight."

Elsa turned a shade redder and nodded, running up to her room. The King and Queen stayed behind, quiet for a moment.

"Are you sure we can go?" the Queen asked, "If something happens and we're not here…"

"Everything will be fine," the King assured her, "Besides, how often will our long lost niece get married?"

* * *

**Next chapter is here! I think maybe another chapter or two, and then we'll get into the main events of _Frozen_, which is what we're leading up to, in case you didn't notice. Please leave a review either about the story, or just badger me about being really slow with updates, and I will get the next one up really soon. Byyyyeeeeee!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

"Jack, wake up!"

Jack groaned and turned to the side, settling back into his dream. Missy stomped her foot, an annoyed sigh escaping her lips. She tried to think of a way to wake her brother up that didn't involve physically harming her brother. Out of the blue, her face lit up with a mischievous smile, and she leaned down again.

"Elsa is at the door, asking for you."

It took a second, but then Jack was wide awake, sitting up and looking at the door expectantly. Missy stood back as he jumped out of bed and ran to the door, when he suddenly stopped and turned towards her. "Is this a trick?"

Missy nodded and quickly said, "It was the only way I could get you up in time!"

"In time for what?" She pointed at the clock on the wall, which said 8:03. Jack eyes widened. "We're gonna be late!" he said, looking around the room frantically.

Missy quickly pointed at the doorway. "I already packed up our stuff, and I cleaned the room a bit." Jack looked around and saw their bags waiting by the door. "I laid out your other clothes, too," she said, sitting on the bed with her legs swinging. Jack looked at her in confusion until he looked down and saw that he was still wearing his suit from last night.

"What happened?" he asked as he went to retrieve his clothes and stepped into the closet.

"Nothing, really," Missy called out loud enough for him to hear, "You picked me up from the seamstresses' house, we went back here, and you passed out as soon as we entered the room." She looked over at the door. "I was gonna ask you the same thing."

Jack came out in his normal clothes and shrugged, balling up the suit in his hands. "It was a party, what did you-Hey!" he cried out as Missy jumped up and grabbed the suit from his hands.

"You need to be careful with these, Jack! They're special!" she exclaimed as she folded it neatly and stuffed it into his bag. She looked around the room one last time before picking up her bag and opening the door. "You coming, party animal?"

Jack just sighed and picked up his own bag, following his sister out of the inn and towards the docks, where a medium-sized trading boat was leaving the harbor. "Hey, wait!" Jack called out as he ran towards the dock. Missy had to run to keep up.

"Sorry, kid," the man on the dock said, his thin, pointed nose buried in papers, "You just missed it."

"Wait a minute," Jack said, "Can't you tell them to come back? They're not that far out."

"Jack, calm down," Missy said, placing a hand on her brother's arm, "I'm sure there'll be another boat heading to Corona soon."

"That was the last boat for the whole week" the man said, "Unless you can swim or have your own boat, there's no other option but to wait." Missy dragged Jack away from the man and towards the rocky shore, where they sat with their legs kicking. Jack was in a sour mood, and Missy didn't know how to make him feel better. She briefly considered asking about the party again, since she only heard a little about it, but immediately retracted the thought.

"We could stay in the inn for a few more days," Missy said, looking at Jack hopefully. He shook his head.

"We only have so much money left," he said, "We can't afford to stay there any longer." Missy thought for a few moments, staring out into the sea. "There's the seamstresses house," she suggested, "I'm sure that-"

"We're not taking charity, Missy," he said sternly, "They've done enough for us."

"It's not charity, Jack," she said, picking up a loose stone and tossing it into the water, "It'll only be for a couple days."

"I said no." His tone implied that the conversation was over, and Missy fell back into silence, staring out into the sea. She always loved the ocean, especially the one in Arendelle. The water just seemed so much bluer and more beautiful than back in Corona.

Soon, it was midday, and Missy volunteered to go buy some food. "I'll be right back," she promised, her coins jingling in her pocket.

"Don't go asking for favors, alright?" Jack told her. She nodded and turned around, rolling her eyes when she was far enough away. She didn't understand why Jack wouldn't just _ask_ someone for help when they were down on their luck. She practically had to beg him for permission to ask one of their neighbors for food a few years back, when they had just moved in and had landed in some rough times. She stopped for a moment when she saw Flora's street, wondering if she could risk running there and back before Jack got suspicious.

Finally, she shook her head and kept walking towards the bakery. She might be annoying, but she wasn't about to break a promise. She bought a round loaf of bread and a sweet drink they called 'lemonade' for the two to share, and hurried back to the shore where Jack was waiting. They spilt the bread and the lemonade for lunch, taking turns throwing loose rocks into the sea. Jack told her about the party, and she made fun at the way he blushed when he talked about Elsa. She just _knew_ that they belonged together, like how she knew that Rapunzel and Eugene were in love with each other. But, Jack was a realist, and he kept saying that he was a peasant and she was a princess, and it would never work out, etc. Missy argued back that crazier things had happened in books, and Jack said that the crazy things should stay in the books. She grew quiet for a while, looking up in the castle.

"Why does Elsa stay in the castle all the time?" she asked, looking up in curiosity. Jack looked down at her in surprise. "Everyone kept saying that she was sick when I was little," she continued, tossing another rock into the sea, "but that was a long time ago. She would've gotten better by now, right?" She looked up at Jack again studying his face. He looked worried and sad, like when she brought up their mother. She could see an inner struggle inside his mind, contemplating on whether or not to tell her.

"It's… complicated, Miss," he finally said, turning to face the ocean. Missy turned away sadly, knowing that he wasn't going to talk about it.

"I wish everything wasn't so complicated," she whispered, swinging her legs and hitting them against the rocks. They sat in silence for a long time, letting the wind and water have their own conversations. It was almost evening, and Jack still didn't have a plan, which made Missy worried.

"Jack," she said carefully, "Are we going to be homeless?"

Jack looked at her, his eyes filled with determination. "Not on my watch," he said, looking around the harbor. He stood up and told her to stay put before going out and talking to the other boats. Missy watched for a minute before turning her attention to a lather large ship with the Arendelle flag draped on its sides. She studied it for a moment, noticing how its crew members hurried to and fro in a panicked manner, as if someone important was coming.

She looked over at Jack, who had also noticed the boat, and had the biggest grin on his face. He hurried back to her, telling her to hurry up and get her bag. She did so, mildly confused, and followed him to the large boat, where he waited for the sailors to stop moving. When they did, she turned around, wondering what in the world was happening, when she saw the King and Queen walking towards them. Missy gasped and grabbed hold of her brother's hand, suddenly nervous. He smiled down at her and squeezed her hand, and waited until the King and Queen were close enough before speaking to them.

"Excuse me, your Majesties," he said, nodding his head in respect. The King and Queen listened intently as he told them about what happened, Missy staying behind him and looking up shyly. She wasn't shy at all, but when you're facing royalty, you tend to hold back some.

"And, in conclusion," Jack was saying, "We were wondering if that offer for a trip still stands." The King and Queen exchanged a look, and Missy worried that they would laugh in his face and order an execution for wasting their time.

"Of course," the Queen finally said, smiling warmly, "There's plenty of room for you and your sister." The Queen looked at Missy and smiled, but Missy hung onto her brother. "You must be Melissa," she said, "My name is Indun."

Missy smiled at her and said, "You can call me Missy, your Majesty."

The Queen reached out her hand and Missy looked up at Jack, who nodded encouragingly. She took the Queen's hand and followed her to the boat. She looked back to see the King and Jack in the middle of a conversation. She briefly wondered what they were talking about, then her attention turned back to the Queen, who asked her about life in Corona and Rapunzel. Missy answered as best as she could, occasionally looking to see if her brother was onboard yet. When Jack finally did board the boat, Missy ran over to him with excitement in her eyes.

"Isn't this so cool?" she asked him, "We're riding with the King and Queen of Arendelle! The real King and Queen themselves!"

Jack just grinned at her, then looked around the ship. "Well, if we're going to stay on here, we need to pull our weight, which means helping out around here."

Missy nodded, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the back of the boat. Jack gripped his bag tightly.

"Missy, are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, "But they've got it handled, and I wanna say good-bye to Arendelle."

The ship started to pull out of the dock and Missy ran up to the railing with Jack in tow. She leaned against it, watching the dock grow smaller. A small crowd had formed, waving good-bye to the ship. Missy waved back with a large smile, and looked over at Jack, who was watching the castle. Missy looked up and saw the sliver of blonde hair in one of the windows. She looked over at Jack and smiled, taking his hand.

"We'll be back," she said. He looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah, I know, pumpkin."

Missy giggled and turned back to the railing when a large gust of wind came out of nowhere, nearly knocking them over. Jack's bag wasn't so lucky, tumbling into the water. Jack held onto the railing, looking over to look at his bag.

"Good thing there's nothing important in there," he said, as the wind died down, "I can always-AAAHHH!"

"JACK!" Missy screamed as a stronger gust of wind came through and push Jack over the railing and into the water. She rushed to the railing and looked into the water, searching for her brother.

"Jack! Jack!" she kept yelling, "Come out of there! Jack!"

Missy's yelling eventually caused a small crowd gathered around her, asking what happened.

"My brother fell overboard," she said, "The wind knocked him over."

A few moments later, Jack's head bobbed to the surface, coughing and sputtering. Missy sighed in relief as Jack looked up at her and smiled.

"The water's great!" he shouted, making Missy laugh. He began to swim towards his fallen bag as Missy turned to look at the sailors, wondering why they weren't trying to help.

"Aren't you going to help him?" she asked, "He needs to be back on the boat."

"Sorry, miss," one of the sailors said, "But we're too far out to go help him."

"Then turn the boat around!" she shouted, growing angry.

The same sailor replied, "We're on a tight schedule, and-"

"Jack's my brother! You can't leave him out there!"

"HEY!" Jack started to yell, waving his arms around wildly, trying to stay afloat.

Missy turned to look back at his shrinking figure. "You go ahead to Corona!" he shouted, "I can find another boat! Don't worry about me!"

Missy shook her head. She couldn't leave him behind, not now. What would she do without him? She wanted to jump in with him, but she couldn't swim very well. The sailor's point did start to make sense. Every second brought Jack farther and farther away from the boat.

Finally, she nodded and shouted as loud as she could, "I'LL SEE YOU IN CORONA, OKAY? YOU BETTER NOT BE LATE!"

She could faintly hear Jack's laugh and his response, "I WON'T, I PROMISE! I LOVE YOU!"

"LOVE YOU, TOO!" she shouted before he turned back to Arendelle. She watched him until they were too far away to see him, and she whispered out into the sea, "I'll see you soon, Jack."

* * *

**Hey guys! Another chapter so soon? WHAAAAAAATTTT?! Yeah, I got inspired and this just spat itself out. Next chapter should be out soon, but I can't make any promises. S****o leave a review, blah blah blah, and I'll see you in the next update. BUH-BYE!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Elsa? Please… I know you're in there."

Elsa kept silent, curled up into a ball at her door. This was the first time Anna had tried to talk to her in almost a month, since their parents… She could feel her hands freezing, thin layers of ice building onto her gloves. She wrapped her arms around her body, trying to control herself. Elsa could barely hear Anna's soft words, but her voice was so sad. She wanted nothing more than to throw open the door and embrace her sister, to offer some form of comfort. But there was nothing she could do, and it made her miserable. She put her head on her knees, tears falling from her eyes in a downpour. Her room was covered in ice, but she could care less. Her parents were dead. She knew that Anna had just come from their funeral, which wasn't fair. She should've been there for her sister, standing by her side. The frozen solid room made it painfully aware of why she couldn't.

Elsa sat by the door for a long time, listening to Anna's soft breathing on the other side, wishing with her whole heart that she could comfort her. Anna sometimes tried to make one-sided conversation, talking about the castle gossip. Elsa listened carefully, trying to think of some way to let her know that she was there for her. The sun was beginning to set when Elsa heard someone else by the door.

"Princess Anna? It's time for bed, your Highness."

Elsa placed her hand on the door, silently begging Kai to let Anna stay with her.

"No, I'm fine, Kai," Anna weakly protested, her voice foggy with sleep, "I wanna sleep here."

"Come along, you Highness," Kai said.

Elsa soon heard two sets of footsteps walking away from the door. As the footsteps faded away, she started to cry again, large silent tears running down her cheeks. Why was she like this? Why did she have to stay inside her room when her own sister was hurting, and she could do nothing about it? The more she thought about it, the more ice started to spread across the room, snowflakes falling around her in circles. Elsa covered her eyes and let the storm inside rage. The wind grew faster and faster, more snow started to fall, and Elsa found it hard to breathe. She took large gasps of air, trying to control herself, but the more she panicked, the harder the storm blew around her.

Suddenly, she threw her arms out and shouted, "ENOUGH!" The storm froze, snowflakes stuck in their positions. Her chest felt tight. She needed fresh air.

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Princess Elsa? Is everything okay?"

Elsa hesitated before speaking, "I'm alright, Kai. Can you please prepare the carriage for me?"

There was silence for a moment. "A carriage, your Majesty?"

"I wish to go see my parents' resting place," she said as the ice around her started to melt, "I… I want to say goodbye."

Kai was quiet, then Elsa heard him call out to someone, "Get the carriage ready for Elsa, now."

Elsa sighed in relief and went to get her cloak. It wasn't cold out, but she couldn't risk getting recognized. A few minutes later, Elsa was sitting in the back of the carriage, trying to prepare herself for what she might see. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"We're here, Your Majesty." She wanted to correct the driver, saying that _Majesty_ belonged to her parents, not to her, when it hit her again. She was the ruler now.

"Th-Thank you," she said before the thought lodged itself into her mind, "Just let me go alone. I'll return shortly."

She stepped out of the carriage slowly, the edge of her dress growing damp from the dewy grass. She walked the short path to the large, engraved stones on top of the hill. Once she reached them, she fell to her knees and covered her face, her eyes stinging.

"I'm so sorry, Papa," she said, "I'm so sorry, Mama. I tried to be a good daughter, and… I don't know what to do." She looked up at the gravestones, tears streaking down her face. "I'm not ready to rule Arendelle, Papa. I can't even control my curse. I'm… I'm not as strong as you. I need you. I can't do this alone. Please."

She bowed her head again, and saw the thin layer of ice rapidly spreading across the grass.

"No, no, no. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel."

As much as she repeated her father's words, the ice kept spreading, reaching the bottom of her father's grave. She cried harder, feeling hopelessly lost.

"Elsa?"

She jumped at the sound of another voice, one that sounded too familiar. She turned around, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Jack," she said, "What… What are you doing here?"

* * *

Jack kept staring at her, not saying a word. He carefully stepped towards her, his brown eyes never leaving her face.

"Elsa…" he said, keeping a safe distance from the ice. She looked at him for a while, her eyes still shining with tears. He looked around at the ice around her for a moment, then took a careful step onto it. Elsa jumped up, holding her hands in front of her defensively.

"Stay away from me," she said, taking a step back. Jack stopped coming forward and copied her motions.

"Elsa," he said again, his voice soft, "I'm… I'm so sorry. I would've come sooner, but-"

"You shouldn't have come at all." Elsa said, her voice trembling, "I'm dangerous. And I… I can't afford any mistakes now. I have a kingdom to run."

"I know that," he said, stepping forward again. Elsa took another step back, her hands growing colder.

"Please, Jack," she pleaded, tears returning to her eyes, "Please, I don't want to hurt you."

"No, you won't," he said, "I know you, Elsa. You wouldn't hurt me. You promised."

"That was a long time ago!" she said, "We were stupid and young and…"

"And honest," he said, stepping forward again, "Elsa…"

"Go away!" she yelled at him, her body growing colder by the second. Jack just looked at her.

"Elsa, please," He was about to take another step when a beam of blue light suddenly burst from her hands straight for Jack. He ducked just in time, hitting the icy ground harshly. He gritted his teeth in pain, but managed to stand up a moment later, looking where the beam had gone. An entire tree was covered in the thick, clear sheet of ice. Jack looked back at Elsa, who was staring at her hands in wide-eyed terror.

"Elsa," he said, "It's alright."

She looked up at him suddenly, her breathing heavy and labored. "I could've killed you," she whispered quietly as snowflakes started to form around her, "I could've… I…"

"Elsa, I'm right here. I'm okay."

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" she suddenly screamed at him, gathering her dress and tearing down the hill with frost following her footsteps.

He started to run after her, when he fell on the ice again, even more painfully than before. He stayed there for a minute, wondering if he should follow her. He just wanted to talk to her again. After a minute of lying on the ground, he pushed himself up and carefully stood on the ice, looking at the trail of frost leading down the hill. He wished that she could just open up to him again, like that night at the lake.

_Was it really only a month ago?_ he wondered. It seemed like a lifetime away. He looked at the frost again, then slowly turned and walked back where he came from, his head bowed. He couldn't stay in Arendelle, not without Elsa. He couldn't go back to Corona, either. There were too many memories of his sister there. Even thinking about it made his chest start to hurt again. He couldn't go back, yet he couldn't stay. He had no money, no family, and no way to stay alive. He glanced back at the hill, looking at the tall gravestones of the king and queen.

He looked at the frozen tree, and he made a vow. "Elsa, I promise that I won't give up on you. No matter how long it takes, I will always be there for you."

* * *

**Welp, that happened. Anyway, who's still here? I know that I'm late, but I'm here, aren't I? ****Here's another chapter, hope you enjoy, and I'll see you guys soon! I promise this time!**

**Random question, if I started another multi-chapter, not necessarily Jelsa, would you guys read it? Just wondering... Anyways, buh-bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

_She was in the middle of a blizzard. She could only see a few feet through the snow swirling rapidly around her. Somehow, she knew that she was the cause of all this. It was her fault, she lost control, but she didn't care at the minute. She was looking for something. She was running in circles, trying to peer through the thick, snowy fog. She had to find him. He was in danger, and she had to find him. She saw a shadow in the distance, but it wasn't him. She didn't know how, but she was certain it wasn't him. She turned to run, but a voice called her back. "Elsa!"_

* * *

She woke up with a jolt, sitting upright in her bed. Her bedsheets were damp from the quickly melting frost surrounding her. She looked around her darkened room, trying to recall her dream again, but to her frustration, it seemed to melt away from her conscious. She only remembered someone calling out her name, but she didn't know who.

She shook her head of it, standing up to begin her day. She pulled on her gloves and opened the door. As usual, her breakfast was sitting there, neat and tidy like always. However, there was an envelope sitting on the tray. She brought it in and set it down on her desk, opening the envelope carefully.

_Your Royal Majesty, _the letter read,_ it is with great pride and with deepest pleasure that we accept your gracious invitation to attend your coronation. However, as it is such late notice, our Duke will have to come in our stead. I hope this meeting will beneficial to both of our kingdoms. Signed, King William of Weselton._

Elsa sighed before setting it aside and turning to her breakfast, making a mental note to add another guest to the list. The kingdom of Weselton had been trying to get on Arendelle's good side ever since they revised their trade agreement three years ago. She stood up once she finished her meal, looking over at the mannequin that held her coronation gown. She rubbed her hands together nervously, then took a deep breath.

_Today's finally the day._

She got dressed quickly, her fingers slipping when she tried to fasten on her cape. She could feel herself getting annoyed, but she kept her cool and finally fastened it. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was glad that the cape was long enough to prevent her from dancing, should the occasion arise. She recalled that her parents had met at her father's coronation, when he danced with a pretty, young princess from Corona. She smiled for a moment, then a knock at the door interrupted her train of thought.

"Miss Elsa," a voice came from the other side of the door, "Would you like me to escort you to the study to prepare for your speech?"

Elsa looked at herself one last time, brushing a stray hair from her face. She took a deep breath and turned to open the door.

"That would fine, Kai," she said, shutting the door behind.

Kai nodded and walked down the hall, Elsa following close behind. Although it was only just after daybreak, servants were busying themselves with cleaning and arranging the castle.

"Oh, we might have a couple extra guests at the ball tonight," Elsa told Kai, "Make sure to tell the kitchen staff." Kai nodded in acknowledgment.

Elsa looked around the castle again, wondering how long it took for the staff to clean everything.

"Are you nervous, miss?" Kai suddenly asked, startling Elsa out of her thoughts. She shook her head, even though her stomach was now starting to feel a bit tight. Kai looked back and smiled at her."You'll be a great Queen, miss."

She smiled back at him hesitantly. He turned and opened the door to the study. "I'll have servants up here in an hour. Be ready by then."

She nodded and walked in, letting Kai shut the door behind her. She looked around the room slowly, paying attention to every detail. There was another study just like it somewhere, but she couldn't remember where, exactly. She went to sit on the couch, staring at the unlit fireplace. Her hands started to feel cold, so she pulled off her gloves, stretching her fingers. Now that she was alone, her thoughts started to turn to worst case scenarios.

_What if she accidently froze the balcony during her speech? What if she messed up and told them about her powers? What if_-

She shook her head and pulled her gloves back on. She knew her speech like she knew her own name. There was no way that she would mess up that badly. She stood up and mentally ran through her speech again and again.

After a while, she glanced at the clock and saw that she only had five minutes left before the gates would open, letting in the townspeople into the courtyard of the castle. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes, telling herself to remain calm. She just had to go through today, and then she could go back to the safety of her room and everything would go back to the way it was before.

She opened her eyes and walked over to the window, which provided a good view of the bridge leading to the castle gates. Already, people were starting to gather at the gates, making her throat tight. They were all so excited, yet it was only for one day. She swallowed nervously.

"Don't let them in," she sang softly, repeating the words her father had drilled into her head, "Don't let them see."

She turned away from the window and walked to the large portrait of her father during his coronation.

"Be the good girl you always have to be."

She pulled off her gloves and reached for the ornaments on the table, pretending they were the orb and scepter she had to hold during the ceremony. She had been practicing for weeks, but every time she touched them, her nerves got the better of her and they froze instantly.

"Conceal. Don't feel. Put on a show."

She glanced down at her hands and, sure enough, there was ice covering the objects.

"Make one wrong move and everyone will know."

She put them down quickly and looked at her hands, willing them to become warm again.

"But it's only for today."

She pulled on her gloves, determination filling her body. She was going to do it, and she wasn't going to show her powers.

"It's agony to wait."

Elsa straightened herself and opened the door. "Tell the guards to open up," She hesitated. Was she really ready to rule a whole kingdom? She mentally shook herself and continued. "The gates!"

As she walked towards the balcony, she kept her head held high, just like her mother taught her.

"Don't let them in, don't let them see." She sang softly to herself as she walked down the hallway, "Be the good girl you always have to be."

She reached the doorway and opened them, keeping her eyes upward. She wouldn't look at the crowd until she absolutely had to.

"Conceal."

From the sound of murmurs coming from below, she guessed that the whole kingdom was in the courtyard.

"Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know."

She opened her eyes and looked down at the crowd. She scanned the crowd quickly, guessing who everyone was. She recognized some diplomats from other countries, her cousin Rapunzel and her husband, Eugene, and… She stared for a moment, unwilling to believe her own eyes.

There was Jack, looking around himself nervously. He looked the same from three years ago. Her hands started to freeze as she remembered their fight. She looked away as he looked up at her. She made tight fists with her hands, forcing them to behave.

She looked at the crowd, purposely avoiding Jack's gaze. "People of Arendelle," Elsa said, forcing a smile on her face. She just had to concentrate on her speech, and everything would be fine.

Her speech went off without a hitch, and as the crowd applauded her, she risked a peek at Jack. He was smiling at her, clapping and cheering with the rest of the crowd. The church bells rang out, and Elsa hurriedly made her way down the halls to the church.

_It's alright, Elsa. It's almost over. Just a few more hours until this is all over._

* * *

She waited in a little room by the chapel, nervously wringing her hands together. Anna was supposed to be here now. Elsa wondered if Anna had gotten lost, when the doors opened and she came running in like a mad woman.

She stopped to catch her breath, somehow talking at the same time, "Sorry I'm late, there was a horse and a boat, and then I tripped, but then this prince saved me, and-" Anna looked up and saw that Elsa was staring at her.

Anna straightened up and fixed her dress, trying to maintain some sense of decency. Elsa was about to respond when Kai opened the doors.

"It's time, your Majesty."

Elsa nodded and cast one tiny look onto Anna's face. Her cheeks were still red from running, but she seemed to be happy.

Anna looked at her with a nervous smile, and then walked out of the room. Elsa took another deep breath, then followed her sister into the chapel, where dozens of guests turned to watch her walk down the aisle.

She swept her eyes over the crowd, but Jack was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, but she focused herself on the task at hand: getting through this without freezing anything.

As the chorus above her sang, she let herself just listen to the music, letting it wash away her worries just for a moment. Finally, the bishop put the tiara on her head. It was supposed to be a crown, but it was so small she couldn't help but think of it as a tiara. She straightened up and looked down at the scepter and orb with trepidation. She reached out slowly, hoping that the bishop wouldn't notice.

"Psst."

She looked up guiltily.

"Your Majesty, the gloves."

She glanced down again, wondering how likely it was that she could pick them up and turn without taking her gloves off. But, she had a duty. She slowly peeled them off, placing them on the pillow. Her hands shook slightly as she took a deep breath and picked them up, turning to face the crowd. The bishop started to talk behind her, but she wasn't listening. She glanced over the crowd again, subconsciously looking for him.

Her hands started to feel colder, and when she glanced down, there was frost building from her fingertips. She looked up again, panic building up in her chest.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle," the bishop finally said, and she nearly threw down the scepter and orb back onto the pillow and tore her gloves back on.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" the rest of the crowd repeated.

Elsa let go of the breath she'd been holding, turning to smile at the applauding audience. She looked near the door at the end of the aisle, and was surprised to see Jack standing there, blending in with the crowd. He smiled at her and waved, but she forced herself to turn her attention away. She had to remain calm, at least until she got back to her room.

As the choir started singing again, she walked down the aisle, her eyes straining with the pressing urge to just look at him, but she resisted, staring straight ahead until she was back at her bedroom. She entered it quickly, swallowing gulps of air. She leaned against the door, trying to think of one reason why he was here, today of all days.

After a minute of thinking, she realized that her face was starting to hurt. She got up and looked in the mirror to see one of the biggest smiles she's ever had plastered onto her face.

_Jack is here,_ her thoughts exclaimed as she stared at herself, _Jack came back._

She stepped away from the mirror, her eyes still locked to it, and tripped over her cape. She fell to the ground, suddenly recalling a distant memory.

* * *

"_Come on, Jack. This isn't so hard." _

_"You've have, like, a million tutors to help you learn!" _

_"Are you saying I'm a bad teacher?" _

_"No! it's just that this is really hard!"_

_ "Here, I'll help you. And, one two three, one two three, one two-OW!" _

_"Sorry! I didn't mean to step on you!" _

_"It's fine. Let's try again." _

_"Hey, this isn't so bad." _

_"I told you so." _

_"Do you think I'll be as good a dancer as you one day?" _

_"If you keep practicing, then you'll be the best dancer in the whole kingdom!"_

* * *

Elsa stayed on the ground for a moment, trying to figure out why she was recalling these memories, when a knock on the door interrupted her.

"Your Majesty, would you like to be escort to the ball?"

Elsa looked at the clock. It was almost five thirty.

"Just give me one moment, please." She called out, standing up and brushing herself off.

She looked in the mirror again, making sure her hair and makeup were just right. A small strand of hair had escaped from her bun, but it was easily pushed back into place.

"You are not going to lose focus," she told herself, "You are going to go to the ball, say a few nice things, and then leave. Jack will not get in my head anymore."

Her reflection seemed to doubt her, but she turned away and walked towards the door, taking a deep breath.

"It's only for today…" she whispered to herself as she made her down to the ballroom.

* * *

**Hello! Now we're getting to the good stuff. Updates will be slow (like they weren't already) because my computer is messing up, and ****I'm trying my best to fix it. But, I have good news!**

**I'm gonna let out a sneak peak of a Darkiplier story I've been working on for a long time, and it would be really helpful if you guys could read it and let me know if it's something I should continue on this site. I posted a small bit of it on tumblr, and people liked it over there, but still, it'll help me a lot if you guys would leave your opinion on it. **

**Anyway, I need to get going, but be on the lookout for that preview! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next update. Buh-Bye!**


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